Military Space News
TRADE WARS
No decision yet on quitting China's Belt and Road: Italy PM
No decision yet on quitting China's Belt and Road: Italy PM
by AFP Staff Writers
Rome (AFP) Sept 10, 2023
Italy has not yet decided whether to quit China's Belt and Road investment plan, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Sunday, but doing so would not damage bilateral relations.

"We have yet to make a decision," Meloni told a press conference at the close of the G20 summit in New Delhi, a day after meeting for talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang.

Should Rome decide to quit, it "would not compromise relations" with China, Meloni said.

Critics say the Belt and Road plan is a Trojan horse to increase China's influence and Meloni is under pressure to exit, but hopes to do so without inflaming tensions.

The deal automatically renews in March 2024 unless Italy opts out by the end of this year.

Meloni said the government was "evaluating the merits" of being part of the trillion-dollar investment scheme, which debt-ridden Italy joined in 2019.

It is the only one of the group of leading developed democracies to have signed up.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said earlier this month that the Belt and Road initiative "has not produced the results we were hoping for".

The Italian PM is tipped to travel to Beijing for a state visit in the next few months, or at the start of next year, but would not be drawn on a possible date.

"It makes more sense to go to China when we have more elements about our bilateral cooperation and how to develop it," she said.

Meloni's meeting with Li, their first face-to-face, came as a broad alliance of states at the G20 unveiled ambitious plans to create a modern-day Spice Route linking Europe, the Middle East and India, which signatories hope will offer a counterbalance to lavish Chinese infrastructure spending.

Some analysts expect Meloni to pull out of Belt and Road while boosting other existing Italy-China accords.

The meeting with Li Saturday "confirmed the common intention to consolidate and deepen the dialogue between Rome and Beijing on the main bilateral and international issues," Meloni's office said in a statement.

Next year marks the 20th anniversary of a global strategic partnership between the two countries which "will constitute the beacon for the advancement of friendship and collaboration," it said.

Related Links
Global Trade News

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
TRADE WARS
US trade chief: Talking to China is no 'sign of weakness'
Washington (AFP) Sept 3, 2023
Holding talks with Beijing officials is not a sign of weakness by Washington, the US commerce secretary said Sunday, adding that not talking can lead to greater tensions and misunderstanding. "It's in the US interest. It's in China's interest. Indeed, it's in the world's interest for the US and China to have a stable and significant commercial relationship," Secretary Gina Raimondo told CNN's "State of the Union," days after returning from Beijing. "I do not accept the premise that talking and c ... read more

TRADE WARS
Ukraine receives new air defence systems from Berlin

Israel says US okays 'landmark' missile defence deal with Germany

Northrop Grumman begins producing NGI solid rocket motor booster cases

Lockheed Martin's NGI program completes all subsystem PDRs

TRADE WARS
North Korea fires two short-range ballistic missiles

Two killed by falling debris after missile strike on Kyiv: authorities

Australia agrees to buy long-range missiles from US

Kim Jong Un inspects cruise missile test as South Korea-U.S. military drills begin

TRADE WARS
Ukraine air force says destroys 22 Russian drones in Odesa region

Ukraine says Pskov UAV strike launched from inside Russian territory

Drone attack on Russian airport near Estonia border: official

Russia hit by mass UAV offensive; 2 killed in Kyiv in rain of missiles, drones

TRADE WARS
Hughes awarded Space Force IDIQ Contract for LEO satellite services

Lockheed Martin to supply 36 Small Satellites to advance SDA satcom network

USSF contracts OneWeb for commercial LEO communications services

RTX to develop platform agnostic, beyond-line-of-sight, satcoms

TRADE WARS
US approves $1.5 billion in armored vehicles to Bulgaria

Japan's Defense Ministry seeks record $53B military budget for 2024

US charges man with smuggling military tech to Russia

Biden admin. announces another security package for Ukraine

TRADE WARS
N. Korea's Kim set for arms talks with Putin in Russia: US

British defence giant BAE sets up base in Ukraine

In Sudan's east, murky arms trade thrives as war rages

China says anti-corruption efforts within military 'will never stop'

TRADE WARS
China says premier will lead its G20 delegation, not president Xi

Be 'good citizens', Pope tells Chinese Catholics during Mongolia visit

Biden 'disappointed' that Xi set to miss G20

Pope offers apparent gesture to China during visit to Mongolia

TRADE WARS
World Nano Foundation highlights nanotech's role in space materials science

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2026 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.