“It was an unwise and terrible decision.” With these words, he evaluated him Reuters Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto joined Italy in the New Silk Road (also called Belt and Road, BRI) project four years ago. And he added that from Italy’s point of view, all that remains now is how to abandon the project, and at the same time not disappoint China too much.

Italy is the only major economy in the West to join the New Silk Road. When Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte’s populist government announced this in 2019, it caused a stir. great surprise and worry. Western countries suspect the Chinese communist regime that, through the BRI project – launched by the Chinese communist government in 2013 and officially presented as global support for economic growth and regional interconnection of the world – the regime is trying to tie together economically weaker countries. economically and exporting its products. ideology to the world.

Minister Crosetto, who is a founding member of the current strongest political party, the extreme right-wing Brothers of Italy (FdI), and has also been involved in business in the past, limited himself to economic reasons when arguing for abandoning the New Silk Road. . Leaf Corriere della Sera He said that BRI membership had so far not brought any benefits to Italy. “We used to export a lot of oranges to China (…) As a result, now they export three times as many to us,” he said as an example.

The published figures also confirm the minister’s veracity by Italian trade body ITA. According to them, since 2019, Chinese goods exports to Italy have increased by more than half – but in contrast, the increase has only been halved.

The shift in trade relations with China began in Italy in the first half of this year, when Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni he says, that “good relations with China can be realized even without membership in the New Silk Road.” At the same time, it is clear that Italian politicians are careful in their statements not to give Beijing a reason to retaliate. Italy imports large quantities of electronic goods, including computers, from China.

Most countries in Central and Eastern Europe, including the Czech Republic, have joined the New Silk Road. Czech President Miloš Zeman also lobbied for the project during his mandate, according to which it should be a “major initiative” supporting reciprocal trade.

However, the massive investment of Chinese companies in the Czech Republic and the economic benefits predicted by Zeman did not materialize, and the influx of Chinese tourists ended with the coronavirus pandemic. Direct air connections from Prague to several Chinese cities also disappeared. In addition, since the current government led by Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) took office, political relations between Prague and Beijing have deteriorated due to the Czechs’ friendly attitude towards Taiwan.