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Diplomacy
ChinaDiplomacy

China-Italy belt and road ties have borne fruit, Wang Yi tells Italian FM

  • The Chinese foreign minister said the two countries should treat each other with mutual respect in the face of geopolitical challenges
  • Antonio Tajani is in Beijing as speculation mounts that Rome may not renew its participation in the infrastructure plan

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Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani (left) and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing on Monday. Photo: Xinhua
Cyril Ip
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has reminded his visiting Italian counterpart Antonio Tajani of the two countries’ long history of friendly exchanges amid speculation that Rome may pull out of the transcontinental Belt and Road Initiative.

Speaking at the 11th joint meeting of the China-Italy Government Committee on Monday, Wang said the two countries should treat each other with mutual respect and openness, with dialogue on an equal footing in the face of geopolitical challenges.

Wang said the belt and road plan – a massive infrastructure programme modelled on the ancient Silk Road of Eurasian trade routes – had “borne fruits” for Italy, the only G7 economy to have signed up, in a memorandum of understanding which expires in March.

China is willing to promote the “greater development” of the two countries’ comprehensive strategic partnership, Wang said, according to a foreign ministry statement released on Tuesday.

“In the past five years, the trade volume between China and Italy has grown from US$50 billion to nearly US$80 billion, and Italy’s exports to China have increased by about 30 per cent,” Wang said.

Platforms such as the China International Import Expo have allowed Italian products to reach “thousands of households” in China, he added.

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