Italy and China in plan for new Silk Road-style trade network

Xi Jinping visits Rome as Italy becomes first G7 country to back Belt and Road initiativeItaly has become the first G7 country to endorse a contentious plan by China to build a Silk Road-style global trade network, irking its EU and US allies.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