Italy’s PM Meloni says will travel to China in coming weeks

Giorgia Meloni is planning to travel to China in coming weeks, following Italy’s decision to pull out of a controversial investment pact with Beijing, Azernews reports citing Bloomberg.

“We are working on a mission to China,” the Italian prime minister said at her closing news conference at the Group of Seven summit in southern Italy. She added that while a date has not been set yet, the trip could be in coming weeks.

Meloni pulled out of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative at the end of last year, after becoming the only G-7 country to sign up to the global infrastructure pact aimed at expanding China’s influence. She undid her predecessor’s move, which had drawn considerable ire from the US and its allies.

Since exiting the accord, Meloni’s government has embarked on a charm offensive with China, a key destination of Italian exports.