Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will visit China for the first time since taking office to improve trade ties, according to Euractiv.
Meloni, who sees Chinese investment as a way to boost Italy’s economic growth, is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. The trip will last from 26 to 31 July.
Italian tyre-maker Pirelli, energy group ENI, defence group Leonardo, wine producers, and several Italian luxury fashion groups including Dolce & Gabbana are among the companies invited to the Italy-China Business Forum. The event will take place in Beijing on Sunday and Monday during Meloni’s visit.
In 2019, Italy became the only G7 country to join China’s trade and infrastructure project known as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). However, Rome withdrew from BRI last year under US pressure over concerns about Beijing’s economic clout.
Meloni’s government argued the deal was of no benefit to Italy, whose €73.9bn ($80.13bn) annual trade with China was strongly skewed towards Beijing, according to the latest data. Bilateral trade and industrial agreements are also expected to be signed.
One panel of the business forum will touch upon the automotive sector. The Italian government is holding talks with Chinese car manufacturers as part of efforts to attract another major car producer to the country, in addition to Stellantis, and enhance national car production.
Earlier this month, China’s Ministry of Industry stated that it was ready to develop practical co-operation with Italy in areas such as automotive, shipping, and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
