Italy has announced its formal withdrawal from the Belt and Road Initiative after joining the China-centered infrastructure and investment project in 2019.
The timing of the announcement that Rome won’t renew its BRI commitment is notable. It came only a day before the EU-China summit, which kicks off on Thursday. The summit will likely be more contentious than usual, with European leaders expected to push China on the treatment of EU firms amid discussions ...
Day: November 16, 2022
Ladies and Gentlemen, Xi Jinping is Back in the Diplomatic Game
After three years of avoiding major in-person diplomatic engagements, Chinese President Xi Jinping re-emerged on the diplomatic stage with a flurry of at least eight bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia. Spread among the President's ...
Xi Champions Developing Country Causes in G20 Speech
Chinese President Xi Jinping used his opening day address at the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, to reassert Beijing's self-appointed role as the world's preeminent developing country. President Xi dedicated the bulk of his speech on Tuesday to a wide range of critical issues confronting countries in ...
It May Not Look Like Much, But This Handshake Between Xi and Modi is a Big Deal
They looked at each other, smiled, shook hands for an uncomfortably long time, and even exchanged a few pleasantries. It may not look like much, but this brief interaction between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at ...
Why Détente Between China and Australia Could Be a Problem for Some Developing Countries
Anthony Albanese is the first Australian Prime Minister in six years to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and from the looks of their brief meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali on Tuesday, there's a glimmer of optimism that the strained ...
Even in a Foreign Country, China Made Other Leaders Treat Xi as the Host
One observation that emerged from Tuesday's flurry of meetings between Chinese President Xi Jinping and various world leaders on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali was that President Xi stood at the flags waiting to greet his counterparts as if he was somehow hosting them ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Awkward Timing as Italy Withdraws from BRI
U.S.-led Coalition Rolls Out First Major Infrastructure Project Under the New Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment
The G7 group of wealthy countries unveiled the first major initiative as part of its Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII), which is ostensibly aimed at countering China's dominance in financing infrastructure in developing countries. The coalition announced a $20 ...