China invested in Italian industry in order to have the caché that "Made In Italy" brought to certain products, even though the people making the goods were actually Chinese.
Well, the only reason I bring this up is the other night, I watched "The Italian Job," the 1968 movie starring Michael Caine. ("Get Carter" was unavailable.) It's a about a heist in the northern Italian city of Turin, described in the film as the most modern industrial center in Europe. The Chinese are planning to make a $4MM investment in gold and the crooks want it.
[If I had seen this movie at any other time but the present I would have scoffed at the notion of China making an investment outside of China...and in gold bullion.]
How do little grains of truth find themselves in Hollywood movies? Are the screenwriters that perceptive? Are they "leaked" info from friendly sources within our intelligence communities? Or are they really just that imaginative?
Perhaps "Belt and Road" has its origins in events from 55 years ago.