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Italy made an "improvised and atrocious" decision when it joined the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) four years ago, said Defence Minister Guido Crosetto on July 30 as the country is considering whether it would renew the BRI's Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Italy could withdraw without harming its ties with China, the defense minister added.

But Crosetto's "inflammatory" remarks were opposed by former Undersecretary of State at the Italian Ministry of Economic Development, Michele Geraci, who argued that his country would "gain even more benefits than we imagined" if renewing the agreement. In his exclusive commentary for CGTN's First Voice column, Geraci recalled that in 2019, then-Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte's administration, which Geraci worked for, made a prudent decision when they joined the BRI in the interests of their country.

International politics is often viewed by Italian officials as a tool of domestic politics, Geraci claimed. Most likely for domestic electoral purposes, Crosetto made such remarks in order to gain support from voters who view the BRI as a challenge. This trick was used by not only Crosetto but many others, who attempted to portray themselves as "heroes" capable of rescuing the public from some fabricated external dangers and "monsters."

In fact, both countries have seen impressive results after Italy signed the MoU with China in 2019, with the bilateral trade volume increasing by 42 percent, which reached nearly $80 billion last year. Increasing products from the Mediterranean country have also entered the Chinese market as it became the guest country of honor for the China International Import Expo in coastal city Shanghai and the China International Consumer Products Expo in the island province of Hainan.

Moreover, given the growing appetite for Italian art performances in China, Italy has become the most popular tourist destination for Chinese tourists in Europe. The two countries have also jointly built large cruise ships, carrying out third-party market cooperation in Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America.

In this context, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is expected to "do what is best for Italy," Geraci said. During her Washington trip, Meloni herself also remarked that she will make the decision based on Italy's best interests, rather than on the advice of other countries including the U.S.

"I hope Italy will never withdraw from BRI," said former Speaker of the Italian Chamber of Deputies Irene Pivetti in July, who believes that there are so many cultural and economic ties between the people of China and Italy that the withdrawal from the BRI will do more harm than good. Pivetti's speech demonstrated that there are still some rational voices in the Italian domestic society, supporting their country's continued participation in the China-led initiative.

"Italy should not be a puppet" of the U.S., YouTube netizen Bruce Wayne left his comment under the video of Pivetti. "It should make its own decision independently based on what is beneficial to the people of Italy," Wayne added.

In only three decades, less than a century, China is likely to become the world's largest economy, which will significantly increase the flow of goods and services between Italy and China, as well as their cultural exchanges, said Italian China Council Foundation's General Manager Vincenzo Petroni.

Whether it is Italian scholars, entrepreneurs or citizens, there is no doubt they are all willing to establish a close relationship with China. Italy is China's friend both culturally and economically.

Over 150 countries and 30 international organizations have signed more than 200 cooperation documents with China in total under the framework of the BRI, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, pouring nearly $1 trillion in investment and creating roughly 420,000 jobs worldwide, which will lift nearly 40 million people out of poverty in the medium and long term, according to the World Bank.

Ignoring the facts, certain countries chose to hype divisions and stigmatize the trade cooperation and cultural exchanges under the BRI, which was a move against the trend of history.

Nevertheless, Geraci believes that because of the new geopolitical structure and the friction between the East and the West, Italy needs the BRI more than it did four years ago, so the country will surely gain greater benefits from the scheme.

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