The Italian fanfare over Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent visit illustrates how anxious Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is to bolster the Italian economy by welcoming China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) into Italy. He expects these Chinese commitments to translate into real investment that will generate jobs and boost exports to China. Importantly, by restoring Italy’s ancient role as the gateway to and from Asia, Chinese investment can improve transport within Italy and on to Europe, adding to Italy’s services economy as well. Italian and Chinese entities signed several agreements committing to future financing, trade, joint construction projects and cooperation...
