Mr. Crosetto asserted that the campaign did little to increase Italy’s exports, leaving China as the sole beneficiary.
China has previously claimed that the BRI has produced “fruitful results” for both countries.
Italy joined the BRI in 2019 as the first developed economy, which was criticized by its Western friends.
Through the reconstruction of the former Silk Road trade route, the global investment program hopes to link China with Europe and other continents.
In order to get Chinese goods to international markets faster, China participates in it by supporting significant infrastructure projects all over the world.
It’s been criticized for being a weapon of Chinese influence-peddling. When Italy agreed to join the program four years ago, the EU and the US both expressed their concerns.The decision to join the (new) Silk Road, according to Mr. Crosetto, was “an improvised and atrocious act” that enhanced Chinese exports to Italy without having a similar impact on Italian exports to China.
He claimed that Italy must now figure out a way to exit the agreement without harming its relations with Beijing.
The question at hand is how to withdraw from the BRI without jeopardizing ties with Beijing. China is a rival, but it’s also a partner, Mr. Crosetto said, adding that this is true.
He said Italy would have to consider how to exit “without producing disasters” as Beijing has grown more forceful on the international stage.
Since May, when Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated she wanted talks with China about possibly leaving the BRI, there has been heated debate over whether Italy should stay in the BRI.Unless Italy formally requests to leave it by December of this year, it will automatically renew in March 2024.
In a recent statement, China’s foreign ministry stated that it was its opinion that “China and Italy should further explore their cooperation potential” under the BRI and “strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation to seek more fruitful cooperation results.”
Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry, noted that the BRI has produced “fruitful results” for the two countries in many different areas in remarks that were published in the English language edition of the state-affiliated Global Times newspaper in May.
Since then, Beijing has begun a diplomatic effort to try to persuade Italy to renew the agreement by dispatching senior officials to the nation to argue its case.
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