Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni Photo: VCG

Italy cherishes its ties with China, as the prime minister of the country has tried to preserve friendly and cooperative relations with China while bilateral cooperation under the framework of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is being disrupted by US pressure. Chinese analysts said on Thursday that the BRI deal benefits both sides, and there is still time for the two countries to find a solution that withstands external impacts. 

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told Italian lawmakers on Wednesday that Italy can have excellent relations with China even without being part of a strategic pact, according to Bloomberg on Thursday. "There are ongoing evaluations," she said, referring to Italy's role in the China-proposed BRI. "The issue must be handled carefully and respectfully, and also involve parliament." 

The remarks came one day after a delegation led by Liu Jianchao, head of the International Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee (IDCPC), completed a visit to Italy from Sunday to Tuesday, during which the two sides agreed to enhance cooperation. 

According to the website of the IDCPC, in a dialogue event with representatives of the Italian business circle, Liu said, "It is a correct decision for China and Italy to sign the Belt and Road cooperation memorandum of understanding. It not only focuses on the present, but also looks to the future." 

Meloni is considering reversing a previous government's decision to join the BRI pact with China, Bloomberg reported last month. Italy signed onto the pact in 2019 when Giuseppe Conte was prime minister, but like many other countries in Europe, Bloomberg's report said, "Italy has been caught between escalating tensions between Washington and Beijing."

Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs at the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times on Thursday that "Italy is facing a dilemma on preserving friendly and win-win relations with China due to pressure from the US and the impact caused by internal political struggles and populism."

Cui Hongjian, director of the Department of European Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Thursday that unlike Conte's government, which was ruled by a non-mainstream political party that was able to withstand US pressure, the Meloni administration is finding it hard to withstand Washington's influence.

Italy is the first and only G7 member that signed a memorandum of understanding with China to jointly advance the construction of the Belt and Road in March 2019, the Xinhua News Agency reported. Since then, Rome has come under great pressure from the US and the EU, and due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, some forces within Italy find that the BRI cooperation is not as beneficial as they expected, so all of these are factors making Meloni and her government consider not renewing the BRI pact, experts said.

"However, Italy highly treasures and cherishes its ties with China, and Rome doesn't want to anger and offend it, because this could make it lose significant benefits from cooperation with China. Now, Meloni wants to manage and minimize the costs of withdrawing from the BRI pact," Cui noted.

In fact, Italy has greatly benefited from the BRI pact, as it ensures investment from China, while trade has also been promoted, and since the world is entering a new stage of recovery after the pandemic, both Italy and China need to insist on existing cooperation and find new measures to activate new potential rather than pull out from the hard-won deal, Chinese analysts pointed out. 

In an interview with the Italian media outlet Il Messaggero in late May, Meloni said it was too early to anticipate the outcome of Italy's decision on whether to remain part of the project, which it signed in 2019.

"Our assessment is very delicate and touches upon many interests," said Meloni. The pact expires in March 2024 and will automatically be renewed unless one side informs the other that it is pulling out, giving at least three months' notice.

Wang said there is still time for both sides to communicate and find a solution for the future, and "we hope Italy can be cautious in handling the case that benefits both sides, and withstand disruptions, whether it is from the US or internal populism."

The BRI is a project involving all countries along the routes and many enterprises will benefit from it, Paolo Borzatta, a board member of the Italy-based consultancy European House - Ambrosetti, said at a sub-forum of the Boao Forum for Asia annual conference in March, Xinhua reported. 

The BRI is not only an initiative from China or a project by the Chinese government, but also a project of all countries along the route, Borzatta said, adding that he believes the BRI represents the future of the world. 

Cui said this year marks the 10th anniversary of the proposal of the BRI, so some Western media are trying to exaggerate Italy's dilemma over the issue to badmouth the China-proposed initiative that has been welcomed worldwide, "and even if Italy eventually decides to pull out, it would be a pity but it's not a big deal for the whole BRI program, which has connected many countries worldwide. China will respect Italy on its own decision and China will also keep in touch with Italy to find a feasible solution." 

During the visit to Italy, Liu Jianchao held separate meetings with Italian Senate President Ignazio La Russa, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani, former Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema, the Democratic Party's Secretary Elly Schlein, and President of the Italy China Council Foundation Mario Boselli. Liu also met and exchanged views with Italy's Parliamentary Association "Friends of China" as well as people from all walks of life.

The two sides agreed that as strategic partners, China and Italy should further strengthen exchanges between political parties, governments, legislatures, business communities, think tanks and local authorities, as well as people-to-people exchanges, and they should also deepen practical cooperation in economy, trade and investment, green transformation, agriculture and tourism, and strengthen exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, so as to push for greater development of China-Italy and China-Europe relations.

"It is hoped that entrepreneurs from China and Italy will strengthen their confidence, continue to develop, cooperate for win-win results, and jointly write a new chapter of China-Italy mutually beneficial cooperation, so as to promote the steady and long-term development of China-Italy comprehensive strategic partnership," Liu said.