Italian PM to make official visit to China

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will make a five-day official visit to China starting on Saturday, a trip that the Chinese Foreign Ministry said is expected to deepen pragmatic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

It will be Meloni's first visit to China since assuming office in October 2022. During the visit, President Xi Jinping will meet with Meloni, and Premier Li Qiang and top legislator Zhao Leji will also hold talks and meet with her, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a daily news conference on Thursday.

A sound and stable China-Italy relationship is in the interests of both countries and peoples, and will contribute to inter-civilizational exchanges and mutual learning, Mao said.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the China-Italy comprehensive strategic partnership. Mao said that Beijing expects to work with Rome through this visit to cement their traditional friendship, promote the Silk Road spirit, and strengthen mutual understanding and trust.

A large delegation of Italian businesspeople and government officials will accompany Meloni during the visit and attend a bilateral business forum, according to Italian media reports.

Matteo Giovannini, a senior finance manager at the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, said that trade will be high on the agenda of Meloni's visit due to common economic interests.

Italy is China's fourth-largest trading partner in the European Union, and China is Italy's largest trading partner in Asia. In 2023, bilateral trade volume was $71.758 billion, down 7.2 percent year-on-year, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Giovannini, who is also a nonresident associate fellow at the Beijing-based think tank Center for China and Globalization, said, "Strengthening economic cooperation can be mutually beneficial, providing opportunities for Italian businesses to access the vast Chinese market and vice versa."

Both countries are interested in expanding cooperation in strategic sectors, such as technology, infrastructure, and green energy, that are critical for future economic growth, he said.

The current economic and trade relations between Italy and China are complex and multifaceted, and are influenced by broader geopolitical dynamics and specific bilateral considerations, Giovannini said.

"High-level diplomatic engagements can help build trust and facilitate dialogue on contentious issues, paving the way for more stable economic relations," he added.

By engaging directly with China, Italy can address bilateral issues independently while maintaining its commitments to EU trade strategies and regulations, he said.

Ding Chun, director of the Centre for European Studies at Fudan University, said that China's commitment to developing its relationships with the EU and Italy, as well as the pragmatic foreign policy of the Meloni government, have facilitated the visit.

Despite the fluctuations in China-Italy relations, strengthening communication is a pragmatic choice for Rome amid economic recovery pressures in the wake of the energy crisis following the Ukraine crisis, he said.

Meanwhile, due to the political turbulence in major countries such as France and Germany, Italy's influence within the EU has relatively increased, which might enable it to play a more important role in the EU's relationship with China, Ding said.

While holding the rotating presidency of the Group of Seven this year, Italy might also act as a "megaphone" for communication between the West and China, he added.

China has been actively pursuing opening-up and developing a comprehensive strategic partnership with the EU, he said, adding that the future of China-Italy and China-EU relations will depend on the choices of European leaders like Meloni.