CHINA-Politburo Member To Visit As BRI Withdrawal Decision Looms

(MNI) London - China's state-run Xinhua reporting that Chen Wenqing, current Secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission and a member of the Chinese Communist Party's politburo, will visit Germany, Italy, and Serbia between 21-28 September. In Germany, Chen will attend a high-level security dialogue. The visit to Italy comes as the gov't in Rome seeks to extricate itself from agreements made by the administration of former PM Giuseppe Conte on China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

• At the G20 summit in Delhi earlier in the month, PM Giorgia Meloni is reportedto have signaled to Premier Li Qiang that Italy intends to withdraw, stating at a press conference that “There are European nations which in recent years haven’t been part of the Belt and Road but have been able to forge more favorable relations [with China] than we have sometimes managed...The issue is how to guarantee a partnership that is beneficial for both sides, leaving aside the decision that we will take on the BRI,” instead talking up other forms and routes of cooperation that Italy would seek to develop.
• The Italian gov't has until December to formally announce its intention to withdraw from the BRI. If it does not do so, its participation will roll over for another five years.