Chinese and Italian companies have recently signed agreements in the solar, wind, and EV sectors, following Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's China trip.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited Beijing this week, where she talked about balancing bilateral trade and investment, and signed sectoral agreements in a number of areas, including electric vehicles and renewable energy.

At the China-Italy Business and Dialogue Forum in Italy last Friday, Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao criticized the European Commission's recent actions against Chinese green products, including electric vehicles (EVs), solar panels, and wind turbines, calling them "trade protectionist" and a "double standard."

After many months of hints that it would do so, Italy has now told China that it plans to withdraw from the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani visited China this week, and issues related to bilateral trade and the Beijing-led Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) were among the topics discussed.

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.

A new MERICS piece by analysts Rebecca Arcesati and Francesca Ghiretti discusses how the Italian government has used its existing power for foreign investment screening to block certain transactions with a China connection, and also notes that it may establish "a new unit within the cabinet of the prime