China, the “head of diplomacy” of the Communist Party arrives in Europe, the (uncertain) renewal of the agreement on the Silk Road is at stake
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Chinese diplomacy on the move, in Europe. Wang Yi, former Chinese foreign minister at the beginning of the year promoted to head of diplomacy of the Chinese Communist Party, arrives – from February 14 to 22 – in France, Italy, Hungary and Russia (this stage is very important, of course) “at the invitation of the governments” of the four countries and will participate in the Security Conference in Munich, Germany – also expected the presence of the US vice president, Kamala Harris – certainly a central event in this context of war and Sino-American tensions. Wang Yi, considered one of the members of the nomenklatura closest to President Xi Jinping (in Western chancelleries it is thought that when it is he could take his place) at the Wehrkunde Conference in Munich will reiterate China’s commitment “for peaceful development”, concept- Summary of the recent 20th Congress of the PCC.
The meeting with Prime Minister Meloni
Wang Yi’s visit represents a resumption of high-level contacts between Rome and Beijing, even though in 2022, just over two weeks after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Rome had hosted the meeting between Yang Jiechi, Wang’s predecessor, and Jake Sullivan, US National Security Advisor. The mission was anticipated by Jia Guide, the new Chinese ambassador to Italy, who spoke of the importance for Italy and China to renew the memorandum of understanding signed in March 2019 by the yellow-green government chaired by Giuseppe Conte (Wang Yi was then minister of Foreign). Wang Yi’s visit to Italy could be an opportunity to prepare Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s trip to Beijing, following up on the invitation extended by leader Xi on the occasion of the bilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the G20 in Bali, Indonesia.
The Silk Road dossier on the government table after Draghi’s “coldness”.
By the end of the year, the Italian government should inform the Chinese counterpart in case it wants to exit (as publicly declared on several occasions) from the memorandum of understanding on the Silk Road, which otherwise would be automatically renewed in March 2024. During the Draghi government there was there was a decided cooling off towards this agreement – Italy was the only Western country to forge a similar agreement with Beijing – and also in Brussels the theme of Chinese expansionism was at the center of the European Council in October, the last as premier of the former president of the ECB. With the Draghi government, Italy understood “very well how the People’s Republic of China operates in the world,” said Wendy Sherman, US deputy secretary of state, answering a question from Formiche.net during a meeting with the European press in June. The position of Meloni and his party has always been decided against the Silk Road in the past as well as in the electoral campaign. In the background the theme of “strategic decoupling”, the progressive uncoupling of Western economies from China, a doctrine advocated (and initiated, in some ways) by Washington, but which in Europe is not actually heard.
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