The Heat: Italy to join China’s Belt and Road Initiative

The Heat

Xi Jinping in Italy

More than 150 countries, regions and international groups have already signed on to China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Enter Italy, whose bilateral trade with China reached a record of $54.2 billion last year. According to Italy’s Undersecretary for Economic Development, the country hopes to increase exports to China by another $8 billion, and benefit from numerous infrastructure improvements. It would be a sorely needed shot in the arm to an ailing economy.

CGTN’s Michal Bardavid reports from Rome.

Follow Michal Bardavid on Twitter @michal_bardavid

Joining the Heat to discuss this:

  • Jue Wang, an assistant professor with the Leiden University Institute for Area Studies.
  • Nicolas Véron, a senior fellow at Bruegel, a Brussels-based policy center and the Peterson Institute for International Economics.
  • Zhao Hai, a Research Fellow with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing.
  • Nicola Casarini, the head of Asia research at the Istituto Affari Internazionali, an Italian think tank.

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