Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has vowed to “resume” relations with China during her first visit to Beijing since taking office.
Mrs Meloni met the Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang at the start of her five-day trip and signed a three-year plan to strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries.
It comes after Ms Meloni withdrew her country from President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) last year.
Rome said at the time that the massive Chinese investment plan had not brought any benefits to Italy.
Ms Meloni described her trip as “proof of the will to enter a new phase and revitalise our bilateral cooperation”.
She also said the two countries signed an agreement aimed at promoting cooperation in electric vehicles and renewable energy.
Premier Li said in a statement from his office that the two countries aim to “increase mutually beneficial cooperation between small and medium-sized enterprises in the fields of shipbuilding, aerospace, new energy and artificial intelligence.”
Italy was the only major Western country to join the BRI, one of China’s most ambitious trade and infrastructure projects.
This move was heavily criticized at the time by the US and some other major Western countries.
Since taking office in 2022, Ms. Meloni has sought to pursue a more pro-Western, pro-NATO foreign policy than her predecessors.
Before withdrawing from the BRI, Ms Meloni called the previous government’s decision to join it “a serious mistake”.
Under her leadership, Italy has taken steps to prevent a Chinese state-owned company from taking control of tire giant Pirelli.
Rome also backed a recent decision by the European Commission to impose import duties of as much as 37.6% on electric vehicles imported from China.
Trade between the two countries amounted to €66.8bn (£56.3bn) last year, making China Italy’s second-largest trading partner outside the EU after the US.
