Meloni, Biden Eye Deeper Ties as Italy Weighs Pivot From China

(Bloomberg) — Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said U.S. President Joe Biden fully trusts the country’s plan to establish balanced relations with China, as Italy mulls a strategy to disentangle from a controversial investment pact known as China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

“It is crucial to keep a constructive dialogue open with Beijing,” Meloni said, addressing reporters after a meeting at the Oval Office with Biden Thursday. “A decision on the Belt and Road will be taken by the December deadline.”