BEIJING: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will visit China for five days from Saturday, Beijing said Thursday, her first to the country since she took office nearly two years ago.

“At the invitation of Premier Li Qiang of the State Council, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will pay an official visit to China from July 27 to 31,” foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in a statement.

She will meet with President Xi Jinping as well as Premier Li during the trip, Mao told a regular press briefing.

They will “hold talks with her… to exchange views on bilateral relations and issues of common concern”, she said.

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Beijing would “deepen practical cooperation and cultural exchange”, Mao added, as well as “promote the steady and long-term development of China-Italy and China-Europe relations”.

Meloni’s administration withdrew from China’s vast Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) last year, having been the only G7 nation to sign up.

Before taking office, Meloni said joining the initiative – a central pillar of President Xi’s bid to expand China’s clout overseas – had been a “mistake”.

Italy’s non-binding memorandum of understanding with China had contained broad undertakings for cooperation in logistics, infrastructure, financial and environmental sectors.

But details were scarce and the lack of transparency fuelled distrust among Italy’s allies.

Meloni’s administration has since sought to mend ties with China, a key trading partner.

The Italian leader’s visit aims to “consolidate the strategic dialogue between Italy and China,” said Giuliano Noci, a China expert from the Politecnico di Milano.

Italian producers depend on China as “the world’s most important market for many product categories, including luxury goods.”

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani visited Beijing last year, meeting Chinese counterpart Wang Yi who said cooperation with Italy had been “fruitful”.

In April, Tajani said Rome intended to strengthen trade despite its withdrawal from the BRI.

“Our relations with China are positive, even if we are competitors and our positions diverge on certain issues,” he told reporters.

Rome’s withdrawal from the infrastructure initiative “was not an act of hostility towards China”, he said.