Italy backs China's Belt and Road Initiative, first G7 nation to do so - Polidicks

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/23/italy-china-new-silk-road-belt-and-road-g7 The prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, and the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, have signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) that could lead to Italy’s participation in China’s Belt and Road initiative (BRI), an ambitious project that envisages Chinese investment in a network of infrastructure projects connecting Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe. Xi was treated like royalty during a two-day visit to Rome, during which the two countries struck about 10 other commercial deals in a variety of areas, including tourism, food and football. As the two countries celebrated, the US – which believes China is using the project to embolden its political and strategic clout – and the EU looked on with trepidation. The Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, warned Italy against “naivety”. “You have to take into account the possibility that China, through the policies, is also pursuing some of its national interests,” he told reporters in Brussels on Friday.

Italians run to fascists like water runs downhill.

Italy's economy is not in great shape, so I hope the same thing that happened in Ethiopia happens here, where China starts to demand stuff when Italy is unable to pay for something.

Hopefully the EU would then take action.

The West is fucking up the century so badly, we've almost lost it. Doesn't help that China and Russia are destroying us internally by influencing the dumbest of our population or manipulating our businesses who only care about profit.

I like the dichotomy of being from a political movement that critiques internationalism in Europe, while then pursuing a globalist policy by enabling a belligerent foreign power to exert economic and cultural influence in your country. These right-wing nationalists are all scam artists.

The time we should all be fighting against ChiCom expansionism, we are all squabbling over populist issues. Gotta love it.

Foreign backed disinformation and thought control.

I still think Russia's gonna be pissed that China is taking advantage of its mega-subversion plans throughout the west

Imagine if China and Russia started fucking with eachother and ended up leaving the west alone

while I'd feel terrible for the people living in the two countries (hell, I feel bad for them as it is), it'd be pretty damn nice to not have to worry about Emperor Putin and Komissar Xi mucking up everyone else with their little imperialist schemes

Pretty sure China would make sure to fan the flames of anti EU sentiment which is extremely ripe among the far right in Europe, who incidentally are big in Italy, before they make big moves like that.

Dont worry that's exactly what's going to happen

The concept of a 'new silk road' connecting Beijing, Nairobi, and Rome would be incredibly useful and if done with good intentions would bring us all closer, especially with the potential of transport across the Pacific. It's just a shame China's intentions are anything but good.

Not really. There is nothing to stop trade between China and all those nations without a "new silk road", nor with modern ship technology does having less ports to stop at along a voyage impede trade or any particular voyage. The only use a "new silk road" has is to expand Chinese economic leverage over smaller nations. Take away China's bad intentions and you'll find a severe lack of necessity for this project.

Not to mention that they've hardly delivered on their end in return for this leverage. https://youtu.be/6Y6MeAOGxt8

The political parties that have been in power since the end of the Cold War became ridiculously complacent and slow to react.

Good.

doubt it with Italy being a core nato state. More likely they'll just load italy's government up with debt and build a shitty cargo port somewhere with 100% chinese labor and materials imported at a stupidly marked up price.

Chinese goods are already all over the world via shipping.

Keep in mind that Italy is a part of NATO, NATO would probably intervene if China starts trying to extort them.

Pretty sure Italy would have to invoke said intervention. NATO doesn't go to helping its members unless said members ask.

”Please fuck my Pooh-hole hard, daddy Xi”

Basically this. A reminder that NATO is a military alliance for the purpose of collective self defense, not a governing and regulatory body like the EU. If Italy wants to be bent over a table and fucked by China, NATO isn't likely to intervene unless Italy asks for such, and even by that point there likely won't be much NATO can really do.

Italy is the eighth largest economy in the world. Italy is a steadfast US ally whose military involvements since the end of WWII have literally all been to support the US in foreign engagements, and several US bases in Italy are indispensable cornerstones of American force projection. Italy hosts part of the US' nuclear arsenal. Italy is a founding member of the EU? Should have been banned for this post but good riddance anyway. PD has become so rife with this kind of alarmist, sourceless, arrogantly uninformed bullshit. All these comments belong under a Youtube video. Jesus.

Being a large economy does not mean a country's economy is necessarily in good shape. Italy's national debt is 131% of their GDP and that's a lot higher than most countries. China has been shown to take advantage of this in the past. I mean, the UK's economy is not doing all that well right now but we only have a national debt of 85% our GDP.. Feel better now?

That's irrelevant toward any end of an argument. Virginia was a founding member of the US yet they still tried to leave in the 1860s.

Yeah, no shit. And? Being a NATO founder and a US Ally doesn't give NATO a say in how these countries run their foreign policy. Nor does it stop those countries from doing something fucking stupid that puts our collective security at risk. Germany not banning Huawei is a perfect example. They were greatly pressured by the US to ban them from being allowed to work on Germany's 5G infrastructure and Germany essentially told the US to get bent. Even though they would be essentially handing over their 5G infrastructure to the Chinese government if Huawei won. Going as far to seek some sort of bizarre anti-spying agreement with China. Because you know if they make China super duper pinky promise not to spy on their then compromised telecommunications infrastructure China can totally be trusted, and such an agreement with no way come back to bite us