Wang Lutong, head of the European Desk at China’s Foreign Ministry, was in Rome on May 5 to discuss bilateral relations and the coming visit to Beijing of Foreign Minister Antony Tajani, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and State President Sergio Mattarella. While the media insisted unisono that Wang was there to discuss the renewal of the Belt and Road memorandum, Italian officials strongly denied it. Deputy Foreign Minister Edmondo Cirielli, the highest official met by Wang, told NOVA new agency that the BRI was not a subject of the talks. That is an issue that Beijing discusses at the highest political level, he said.
One day before, the U.S.’s Speaker of the House and notorious “China hawk” Kevin McCarthy, met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, President Sergio Mattarella and Italian President of the Chamber of Deputies Lorenzo Fontana in Rome. His focus was the Belt and Road. His mission: pressuring Italy to leave the BRI before Meloni’s planned visit to Washington.
McCarthy was accompanied by a bipartisan delegation, including: Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA), Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR), Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA), Rep. Erin Houchin (R-IN), Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL).
The delegation met also with the Pope. Italy is the only EU stopover in McCarthy’s first trip abroad as House Speaker. He will visit Israel, Jordan and Egypt.
