(By Massimiliano D'Elia) The Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni she returned to Rome from her rest period in Puglia. Already on Monday the first post-summer council of ministers to discuss urgent measures, such as the migrant decree. But Meloni's attention is not only in Italy but also outside the borders where the war in Ukraine and the crisis in Africa, in the Sahel area, require coordinated involvement from the entire western bloc, trying to calm the French excesses which usually in Africa it acts alone.
Then we look very carefully at the next G20 summit in September in New Delhi where we will need to get there prepared and above all with some dossiers already defined, such as that of the memorandum signed by Italy on the Chinese Silk Road. Memorandum from which Italy wants to disengage by the natural expiry set at the end of the year, under penalty of automatic renewal.
For this reason, the Meloni government is forced to carry out careful diplomatic balancing act in order not to affect trade exchanges with Beijing, which has in any case been growing progressively over the years. Between 2020 and 2022, the volume of Italian imports from China increased from 32,2 billion euros to 57,5 billion, while Italian exports to China went from 8-10 billion to approx 17 billion euros for the year 2022, with excellent prospects also for 2023.
Hence the decision to anticipate the G20 with the launch of two diplomatic missions: one in the United States and the other in China.
The diplomatic advisor of Palazzo Chigi Francesco Talò flew to Washington while Foreign Secretary Antonio Tajani will go to Beijing on September 3 and 4.
Councilor Talò met Jake Sullivan, the US National Security Adviser and participated together with France, Germany and the United Kingdom in the meeting of the Quint, the most important forum for the exchange of security information and diplomatic coordination between one side of the Atlantic and the other. In the "confidential" meeting of the Quint, Ukraine, the Mediterranean and above all Africa were discussed with its turbulence in the Sahel following the military coup in Niger.
During the bilateral meeting with Sullivan, however, there was talk of the Tunisia dossier and the need to unblock the 1,9 billion euro loan from the International Monetary Fund which could save Kais Saied's country from bankruptcy.
During the meeting, Sullivan expressed his appreciation of Italy's growing commitment to the Indo-Pacific region.
Tajani will have the most difficult task, pay a visit to Beijing to explore the Chinese "mood" following the first declarations by the Italian government of wanting to disengage from the memorandum of Belt & Road Initiative. Tajani will also evaluate the Chinese predisposition to welcome Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on a visit by the end of the year, beginning of 2024.
However, Meloni is also looking to India where he will be visiting for the next G20. According to the head of the Italian government, it is appropriate to undertake structural relations with the countries of the "global South" (emerging countries), also following the importance assumed by the BRICS (36% of world GDP) which at the very beginning of 2024 will have new member countries of the likes of Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
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