BRI can help serve economic interests of Italy and its allies

President Xi Jinping's visit to Italy from March 21 to 24 elevated Sino-Italian relations to a new level.

Since the beginning of diplomatic relations in the 1970s China and Italy have always framed their relations as an attempt to reinforce their independence in the international community and mutually strengthen their economies. The recent signing of the memorandum of understanding on the Belt and Road Initiative during President Xi's visit to Italy is in line with that trend.

Most recently, Italy's traditional allies have turned more critical of China: the United States has labelled China as a threat while the European Commission used the term "systemic rival" to describe China. Italy's traditional allies are therefore interpreting Rome's proactive policy toward Beijing, especially the signing of the MoU on the BRI, as harmful to Western countries' interests.