Chinese Premier Li Qiang visited his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni on the sidelines of the G20 summit on Saturday and addressed bilateral ties in the wake of Italy’s decision to withdraw from China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) because the project “did not produce the expected results,” news agency PTI reported. Delegating for Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in New Delhi, Li, the number two leader in the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) hierarchy, urged Meloni to create a “fair, just, and non-discriminatory business environment” for Chinese enterprises to invest and do business in the European country, according to Chinese official media.
The Li-Meloni encounter on the margins of the G20 conference took on further significance because the Italian government has openly voiced its wish to withdraw from the BRI, claiming that Beijing’s vaunted multibillion-dollar infrastructure plan has not benefited Rome.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who visited Beijing on September 5, criticised the BRI, stating it “did not produce the results we expected,” and several Italian parties were opposed to Italy’s involvement.
According to an earlier article by the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, he has also indicated separately that his country wants to “work with China” and is “ready for Chinese investments.”
China has announced plans to convene the third BRI summit in Beijing next month.
If Italy withdraws, it will be seen as a setback for President Xi’s multibillion-dollar pet project, which has also been criticised for its debt sustainability, particularly from smaller nations.
China launched the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013, with the goal of connecting Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Gulf area, Africa, and Europe via a network of land and maritime links.
To China’s chagrin, Prime Minister Narendra Modi revealed on Saturday plans to build the India-Middle East-Europe economic corridor, which would encompass India, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, the European Union, France, Italy, Germany, and the United States.
“Today we all have reached an important and historic partnership. In the coming times, it will be a major medium of economic integration between India, West Asia and Europe,” Modi was quoted by PTI in its report.
According to Modi, the corridor would provide a new way for global connection and sustainable growth.
Modi also held bilateral discussions with Meloni on Saturday, during which the two leaders addressed a variety of subjects.
“I had an excellent meeting with PM @GiorgiaMeloni. Our talks covered sectors such as trade, commerce, defence, emerging technologies and more. India and Italy will keep working together for global prosperity,” Modi posted on X.
I had excellent meeting with PM @GiorgiaMeloni. Our talks covered sectors such as trade, commerce, defence, emerging technologies and more. India and Italy will keep working together for global prosperity. pic.twitter.com/mBtyczMjB0
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 9, 2023
On the margins of the Group of 20 conference, Li Qiang also met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
During his discussion with Ursula, Li stated that China and Europe, as two important forces in a multipolar world and two main engines of global development, should work even more closely and collaboratively.
According to state media, he urged both parties to balance world uncertainty with the stability of China-Europe relations.