Beijing warns on hyping up, politicizing of BRI ties

China on Friday slammed "some forces" for "hyping up and politicizing" trade and cultural exchanges between China and Italy under the Belt and Road Initiative, saying that such moves aim to disrupt cooperation and create division.

A Foreign Ministry spokesperson made the remarks after Italy was reportedly poised to withdraw from the BRI.

Beijing and Rome signed a memorandum of understanding on bilateral cooperation within the framework of the BRI in 2019, and the memorandum is set to be automatically renewed in March 2024.

Reports said that while considering not renewing the cooperation document, Italy also expressed its hope that such a move would not affect its relations with China.

Engaging in BRI cooperation is a right choice made by the two countries based on their historical and cultural bonds and their practical needs for development, the spokesperson said in an online statement.

The statement said the signing of the BRI cooperation document unleashed great enthusiasm and potential for China-Italy ties. Over the past five years, bilateral trade has increased by 42 percent, reaching nearly $80 billion last year.

The spokesperson added that Italy has become the top European destination for Chinese tourists, and Italian art exhibitions and performances are quite popular in China.

Wang Yiwei, a professor of international studies at Renmin University of China, said Italy's potential reversal on the BRI is driven less by economic considerations and more by the new geopolitical reality facing Europe, as it is the only country in the Group of Seven to have signed such a cooperation document with China.

Under pressure from the United States and other G7 members, who are calling for "de-risking" and "decoupling" from China, Italy is afraid of losing its voice in the bloc if it does not withdraw from the BRI, Wang said.

He noted that the move reflects the narrowing of the space for mutually beneficial cooperation between European countries and China.

The West views China as a sysmetic rival and competition has outweighed complementarity in China-Europe cooperation, he added.

The spokesperson stressed that malicious hype and the politicization of BRI cooperation between China and Italy goes against the trend of history and will hurt others without benefiting oneself.

China stands ready to work with participating countries to advance high-quality BRI cooperation and make greater contributions to promoting global sustainable development and inter-civilization exchanges, the spokesperson added.

Wang, the professor, added that the BRI is a platform for joint development and a vivid practice of realizing common prosperity worldwide.

"If it is not a successful initiative, why is it attracting more and more countries to join it?" Wang added.