Sino-Italian Dilemma: Exit from the BRI
Giorgia Meloni was sworn in as Italy’s prime minister in October 2022. A co-founding member of the right-wing Brothers of Italy Party (Fratelli d’Italia), she was noted for controversial social issues and economic policy statements. Recently, Meloni shocked China with the recent announcement to pull out from the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), aimed at bolstering infrastructure projects abroad with China’s surplus. Following the announcement, Meloni met up with the Biden administration, showing an apparent move to strengthen economic ties with the US rather than China in preparation for departure from a once-ambitious project. This brief analyzes the reasons behind Italy’s exit from BRI, reveals the diplomatic consequences Italy may have, and provides policy descriptions for maintaining concord with China.