Meloni’s visit is expected to be an impulse to raise relations to a new level: China Daily editorial team

China’s measured response to Italy’s failure to renew relevant documents on cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative in December showed that it tacitly understands that Italy’s decision was largely due to external pressure.

Italy’s decision, after a year of struggle, was clearly at odds with the Italian-Chinese Year of Culture and Tourism, which was relaunched a year earlier, and came at the height of calls from Washington for its allies to stay away from China.

Both Rome and Beijing have kept the door ajar, and the positive exchanges between the two sides this year show that the door is opening even wider than before.

Italy’s Minister for Enterprise and Production, Adolfo Urso, visited China in early July, when an exhibition of ancient Roman antiquities in Beijing became a nationwide hit in China, setting the stage for a visit from Friday to Tuesday by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

During the visit, Urso said China is an indispensable market for Italian companies and a key partner. China-Italy cooperation in green technology, electric vehicles and public buses is becoming increasingly important, marking a new stage in the strategic partnership between the two countries.

Meloni’s five-day, first visit to China after nearly two years in office, and her packed schedule, which includes meetings not only with Chinese leaders but also with business and cultural figures, suggest that Meloni’s visit should not be seen as an attempt to repair ties but rather as an effort to strengthen them.

Not surprisingly, Italian tire maker Pirelli, energy group ENI, arms company Leonardo, winemakers and several Italian luxury clothing groups, including Dolce & Gabbana, were among the companies invited to participate in an Italian-Chinese business forum dedicated to cooperation in sectors such as automotive and green technology, held in Beijing on Sunday and Monday.

Italy is China’s fourth largest trading partner in the European Union, and China is Italy’s largest trading partner in Asia. Given the high complementarity between the structure and development stage of the two economies, the fact that China’s exports accounted for about two-thirds of the $71.76 billion in bilateral trade last year, which has declined by 7.2 percent from 2022 due to the above-mentioned reasons, means that Italy has great potential to increase its exports to the Chinese market. In particular, its high-tech and advanced products, food and high-end consumer goods have great potential. And it has every reason to deepen cooperation with China in pharmaceuticals, biomedical engineering, green technology and electric mobility.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the China-Italy Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. China said it intends to work with Italy through this visit to cement the traditional friendship between the two countries, promote the spirit of the Silk Road, strengthen mutual understanding and trust, deepen practical cooperation and people-to-people and cultural exchanges, strive for the steady and balanced growth of China-Italy and China-EU relations, and jointly contribute to a more peaceful, stable and prosperous world.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella is said to be visiting China in October to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the death of Marco Polo, the famous Italian visitor to China. China and Italy are both ancient civilizations. Solid and stable Sino-Italian relations are in the interests of both countries and peoples and contribute to inter-civilization exchanges and mutual learning.

In addition to working on ways to leverage the broad common interests of China and Italy that remain largely untapped in various sectors, the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza are likely to be a topic of discussion between Meloni and Chinese leaders, as Italy is not only an active player in the EU but also in the G20, NATO and G7 groups, which it chairs this year.