Continuity and Change in Italy-China Relations: From Economic Pragmatism to Selective Followership and Back

Italy is generally not a conspicuous actor in world affairs. In 2019, however, the Italian government chose to sign a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation within the framework of China’s “Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI), thereby stepping right into the middle of what has become a defining feature of the current international system, namely US-China strategic competition. This chapter investigates continuity and change in Italy-China relations in the past decade, analysing how Rome went from economic pragmatism to selective followership and back.