Italy's Meloni Seeks to Relaunch Trade Ties with Beijing

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni pledged on Sunday to "relaunch" cooperation with China as she signed a three-year action plan during her first official visit to Beijing since taking office.

Meloni met Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Sunday, as Rome seeks to improve trade ties with Beijing after pulling out of President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road Initiative last year.

Meloni said her five-day visit was "proof of the will to start a new phase and relaunch our bilateral cooperation". The action plan aims to test new forms of cooperation, she said in a video broadcast by state broadcaster Rai.

Meloni said later in the day that the memorandum of industrial cooperation signed by Italy and China "includes strategic industrial sectors such as electric mobility and renewable energy".

She also took part in an Italy-China business forum, to which Italian companies including tyre maker Pirelli, energy company Eni and defense firm Leonardo were invited.

Meloni said the forum "gives another sign of mutual interest to achieve a greater balance between our interests and our trade".

"China and Italy should adopt a win-win mentality and increase trade and investment cooperation, making cooperation more effective and sustainable," Li said at the opening of the forum.

In 2019, Italy became the only G7 country to join the Belt and Road Initiative, but it withdrew last year under pressure from the United States over concerns about Beijing's economic influence.

Chinese state media said the visit was aimed at "clarifying some misconceptions" about Italy's withdrawal from the initiative and emphasizing the importance of economic ties.