Rome [Italy], July 29: Italy and China signed a three-year economic cooperation agreement on July 28, following talks between Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and his Chinese counterpart Li Qiang.
DW reported that during her visit to China, Ms. Meloni aimed to strengthen cooperation with Beijing, amid escalating trade tensions between China and Europe.
Ms. Meloni said her first visit to Beijing as Italian leader was a demonstration of the will to start a new phase, aimed at restarting bilateral cooperation.
According to the Italian news agency ANSA, Prime Minister Meloni wants trade relations with China to become "fairer." She mentioned that Chinese investment in Italy is one-third of the opposite direction, emphasizing the desire to narrow this gap.
Ms Meloni said the three-year agreement signed with China includes cooperation in strategic areas such as electric vehicles and renewable energy.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang said the two countries have agreed to mutually beneficial cooperation in the fields of shipbuilding, aerospace, new energy and artificial intelligence (AI).
Li added that Beijing supports Chinese companies investing in Italy, hopes Italy will provide a fair, safe and non-discriminatory business environment, and expects convenient procedures for Chinese citizens to travel to Italy, according to Xinhua.
Rome is seeking to rebuild ties with Beijing amid growing concerns over trade tensions between China and Europe. In addition, the Global Times quoted experts as saying that Ms. Meloni could use this visit to "clear up misunderstandings" after Italy withdrew from China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in December 2023. Previously, Italy was the only country in the Group of Seven (G7) developed economies to join the BRI, in 2019.
Italian Prime Minister Meloni is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping today, July 29.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
