Varun Venkatesh

Giorgia Meloni was sworn in as Italy’s prime minister in October 2023. A confounding member of the right-wing Brothers of Italy Party (Fratelli d’Italia), she was noted for controversial statements pertaining to social issues and economic policy. 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 a clear move to strengthen economic ties with the U.S. 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 to deal with and provides policy descriptions in maintaining concord with China.