Chinese President Xi Jinping and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni discussed the war in Ukraine and the crisis in the Middle East, at a meeting in Beijing on Monday, Meloni's office said.
Meloni, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the G7, stressed the importance of China as a partner in addressing growing global insecurity at the talks.
The two leaders discussed “issues high on the international agenda, from the war in Ukraine to the risks of further escalation of the situation in the Middle East. They also discussed rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific,” the Italian leader's office said.
Meloni is seeking to relaunch his country's economic ties with Beijing, after Italy pulled out of Xi's Belt and Road Initiative, and amid worsening trade relations between the West and the world's second-largest economy.
“There is increasing insecurity at the international level, and I think China is a very important interlocutor to deal with all these dynamics,” Meloni said in talks at the Diaoyutai State Guest House in Beijing.
The European Union's trade policy has become increasingly protectionist over concerns that China's production-focused development model could flood the bloc with cheap goods as Chinese companies seek to boost exports amid weak domestic demand.
The European Commission this month confirmed it would impose initial tariffs of up to 37.6% on imports of Chinese-made electric vehicles, escalating tensions with Beijing.
Italy is strategically important to China because it once took the offensive against Beijing, and can now prove itself as a moderate country within the EU bloc. (ps/ab)
