Italy has taken an exit from China’s
Belt and Road Initiative, four years after becoming the only Group of Seven
(G7) nation to sign up for it.
Beijing, reportedly, was informed about the
much-awaited decision regarding the withdrawal three days ago.
Italy was the first significant Western
country to join the project in 2019, despite US worries about China acquiring
control over vital infrastructure and technologies.
As per media reports, the formal exit of
Rome from the project occurred through the cancellation of the agreement by the
Giorgia Meloni-led Italian Government.
In the end, after weeks of confidential
negotiations and some diplomatic misunderstandings, Italy produced a verbal
note, accompanied it with promises of strategic friendship capable of re launching
relations between the two States, and delivered it in Beijing to the Chinese Government
authorities, reported Corriere della Sera.
It is advantageous for both that there
was little public announcement of the official cancellation (none of the two
countries released a statement).
Beijing is in charge of a project that
has partially fallen into financial difficulties.
The Silk Road Memorandum was notably
signed by then-Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte of Italy and Chinese President Xi
Jinping on March 23, 2019, according to Corriere della Sera.
Notably, it was upon taking office last
year, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated her intention to pull out of
the BRI, citing the absence of significant advantages for her country, reported
Al Jazeera.
In July this year, Italy’s Defence
Minister Guido Crosetto said joining the BRI was an “improvised and atrocious”
act by Italy.
“The decision to join the (new) Silk
Road was an improvised and atrocious act that multiplied China’s exports to
Italy but did not have the same effect on Italian exports to China,” stated Crosetto.
It was earlier in September this year
that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had said leaving the Belt and Road
Initiative (BRI) also known as Silk Road does not compromise relations with
China.
According to Italian media, Corriere
della Sera daily, it was on the sidelines of the G20 Summit here in Delhi this
year, that the Italian PM met Chinese Premier Li Qiang and shared her plan to
pull out of the BRI.
In the press conference on the last day
of the G20 Summit, Meloni turned to talk about the conversation she had with
the head of the Chinese Government.
“A cordial and constructive dialogue on
how we can deepen our bilateral partnership… I intend to keep my commitment
to visit China…It makes more sense to go to China when we have more
information on our bilateral cooperation and how to develop it,” Meloni said at
the conference, according to the Italian media report.
“Leaving the Silk Road does not
compromise relations, but the decision still has to be taken,” the prime
minister assured.
“The Italian Government was invited to
the Belt and Road Forum, but yesterday we didn’t talk about it,” Meloni said at
the conference.
ANI
