Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto criticized his country's decision to join a flagship Chinese infrastructure scheme known as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
The remarks came during an interview that was published Sunday where the Italian official said that the agreement has done little to boost the nation's exports. The BRI, which was created by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, is Beijing's global infrastructure investment program.
Italian Defense Minister Criticizes China's Infrastructure Scheme
The infrastructure was established in an attempt to rebuild China's Silk Road, which connects Asia with Africa and Europe with the goal of increasing trade and economic growth. Since then, the initiative has seen billions of dollars being poured into infrastructure projects every year.
The projects have paved the way for a variety of infrastructure, such as highways from Papua New Guinea to Kenya, ports from Sri Lanka to West Africa, and also provided power and telecoms infrastructure for people who live in Latin America to Southeast Asia, as per CNN.
However, critics of the initiative see the BRI as a means for China to spread its influence to other nations worldwide. The Italian government joined the initiative in 2019, making it the only major Western country and the only nation from the G7 group of advanced economics to join China's BRI.
In a statement, Crosetto said that the choice to join the Silk Road was an improvised and "wicked act." He claims that the decision was made by the government under the rule of Giuseppe Conte, who he said led to a double negative result.
The Italian defense minister said that the nation has exported a load of oranges to China, which has tripled its exports to Italy in three years. Crosetto said that the most ridiculous thing about the situation is that when Paris, without signing any treaties, in those times sold airplanes to Beijing for tens of billions.
Good Relations Out of the Initiative
Crosetto said that the issue now is how to walk back from the Chinese infrastructure scheme without damaging relations with Beijing. He noted that it is true that China is a competitor, it is also considered to be a partner country, according to Reuters.
On Thursday, following a meeting at the White House with United States President Joe Biden, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said that her government is still deliberating on the BRI and announced a planned trip to Beijing in the near future.
During an interview aired on Sunday, Meloni said that her administration will make a decision on the matter before December. She added that the issue would require discussions with the Chinese government and within the Italian parliament.
The situation comes as Italy's membership with China's BRI is set to expire in 2024 and Meloni said earlier this year that it was possible to have "good relations" with China even outside of the scheme.
The Italian prime minister reiterated her view that it is considered a paradox that while her nation is part of China's infrastructure scheme, it is the G7 country that has the biggest trade with Beijing, said the South China Morning Post.