Recent news reports suggest that Italy is considering leaving the BRI, and will make a final decision by the end of the year. This move may be mainly symbolic though, with limited economic impact, just as the original decision by Italy to join the BRI was.

Last week, a group of European Union member states issued a paper raising concerns about medicine shortages, and in that context criticizing dependence on China for inputs used in those products.

In a speech yesterday on international affairs, Micheál Martin, the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, laid out his vision for the Irish and EU relationship with China.

As a follow up to the Macron-Xi meeting earlier this month, the Chinese government recently started the domestic process of allowing more French food imports, and moved ahead with the regulatory process for two French GI applications.

At a Peterson Institute event today, Gabrielius Landsbergis, Lithuania's Minister of Foreign Affairs, explained the background and details of China's trade restrictions that were imposed after Lithuania allowed a Taiwanese economic office in Vilnius to be labelled with the word "Taiwan."

As part of a visit to the U.S. where he was meeting with his USTR counterparts, European Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis spoke at a think tank event, where he offered remarks about various aspects of EU thinking on China trade issues. Dombrovskis emphasized the importance of not being dependent

French President Emmanuel Macron just finished a high-profile state visit in China. Trade and economic cooperation was one of the topics that Macron discussed with Chinese leaders, and a number of agreements on food, aircraft, container ships, and energy were reached and signed last week.