Italian Prime Minister says ‘Withdrawal from China’s Belt and Road Initiative’: ‘Not as successful as expected’ | yunhap news

Delivery time2023-12-08 00:40

(Rome = Yonhap News) Correspondent Shin Chang-yong = Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on the 7th (local time) that China’s One Belt One Road (Land and Maritime Silk Road connecting China-Central Asia-Europe) has achieved as much as expected. He stated that he could not bring it.

According to the Italian news agency ANSA, Prime Minister Meloni met with reporters after visiting a trade fair held at the Fiera exhibition hall on the outskirts of Milan that day and spoke about the background of withdrawal from the Belt and Road.

Prime Minister Meloni said, “I believe we must maintain and develop trade and economic cooperation with China, but the Silk Road project has not produced the results we expected.”

This is the first time Prime Minister Meloni has spoken publicly on this issue since media reports emerged that the Italian government had officially notified China of its decision to withdraw from the Belt and Road Initiative on the 3rd.

One Belt, One Road is a global project proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013 with the idea of ​​China creating a huge economic bloc by connecting Asia, Europe, and Africa through land rail and sea (ports).

Italy was the only G7 country to participate despite opposition from the United States and the European Union (EU) in 2019, but Prime Minister Meloni, who took office in October last year, criticized this and suggested withdrawal. This is because the economic benefits from participation were not as great as expected.

Italy’s exports to China only increased slightly from 13 billion euros (about 18.5 trillion won) in 2019 to 16.4 billion euros (23.3 trillion won) last year. On the other hand, China’s exports to Italy increased significantly from 31.7 billion euros (about 45 trillion won) to 57.5 billion euros (about 81.8 trillion won) during the same period.

Skepticism arose as France and Germany, which did not participate in the Belt and Road Initiative, showed that their exports to China far exceeded those of Italy, recording 23 billion euros (approximately 32.7 trillion won) and 107 billion euros (approximately 152.2 trillion won) last year, respectively. has become even bigger.

From Italy’s perspective, it appears that it would not have been easy to continue ignoring the West’s efforts to reduce its dependence on China at a time when it did not have much to gain from the Belt and Road Initiative.

In response to Italy’s notice of withdrawal, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said in a briefing on the same day, “The Belt and Road is the most welcomed international cooperation platform in the world today,” and added, “China resolutely opposes tarnishing and destroying the joint construction of Belt and Road cooperation and avoids confrontation and division.” “I am against the promotion,” he said.

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2023/12/08 00:40 Sent