Mrs Meloni described her trip as “a demonstration of our commitment to embark on a new phase and renew cooperation between our two countries”.
She also said the two countries had signed an agreement aimed at strengthening cooperation in electric vehicles and renewable energy.
In a statement released through his office, Premier Li said the two countries aim to “expand mutually beneficial cooperation between small and medium-sized enterprises in the fields of shipbuilding, aerospace, new energy and artificial intelligence.”
Italy is the only major Western country to have joined the Belt and Road Initiative, one of China’s most ambitious trade and infrastructure projects.
The move was strongly condemned by the United States and several major Western countries at the time.
Since taking office in 2022, Mrs. Meloni has pursued a more pro-Western, pro-NATO foreign policy than her predecessors.
Before pulling out of the BRI, Mrs Meloni described the previous government’s decision to participate as a “serious mistake”.
“All nations [BRI] “Member countries know that China is number one and Italy is number two, and as a G7 member, Italy would not want to be lumped in with Russia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka,” said Alicia Garcia-Herero, chief economist for Asia-Pacific at investment bank Natixis.
“Without BRI [membership] “Meloni is approaching China from a different level of engagement, not as a vassal, but as a partner,” she added.
Under the direction of Mr. Meloni, Italy has blocked a Chinese state-owned company from taking control of tire maker Pirelli.
Rome also supported recent moves by the European Commission to impose tariffs of up to 37.6% on electric vehicles imported from China.
Last year, two-way trade between the two countries reached €66.8 billion (£56.3 billion), making China Italy’s biggest non-EU trading partner after the United States.
