Exclusive | Italian PM Giuseppe Conte ignores US warnings and pushes for closer cooperation with China’s belt and road plan
- US official says deal with Beijing could damage Italy’s international standing
- Conte going down path forged by earlier Rome governments by giving Chinese companies more access to the port of Trieste and pushing energy sector collaboration
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has overruled the foreign ministry and joined right-wing Eurosceptics in his coalition cabinet in calling for closer cooperation with China’s “Belt and Road Initiative”, sources told the South China Morning Post.
In a move that Washington warned would damage Italy’s standing with its neighbours, the Conte government is understood to be planning to give Chinese companies greater access to the port of Trieste – one of the region’s busiest, with access to the Mediterranean – as well as further cooperation between the leading electricity providers of both countries.
White House National Security Council spokesman Garrett Marquis said the belt and road scheme was unlikely to help Italy economically and could significantly damage the country’s international image.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit Italy from March 22-24, during which time Rome and Beijing would look to agree a framework deal.
“With all the necessary precautions, Italy’s accession to a new silk route represents an opportunity for our country,” Conte said on Friday.
The Italian leader’s plan to attend a belt and road summit in Beijing in April caused waves in Brussels and Washington, as Italy was on course to become the first country among the Group of Seven (G7) – and the first founding European Union member – to sign up to China’s trade initiative that the US and EU have characterised as a debt trap or a neocolonial project.