Giorgia Meloni of Italy is the most notable EU leader who hasn’t shown up in Beijing. Since taking office in 2022, the Italian premier has been trying to distance herself from China after her predecessor-but-one had made Italy the only Group of Seven country to join China’s global infrastructure push, the Belt and Road Initiative. Nevertheless, Stellantis NV, the owner of Italian carmaker Fiat, is exploring deals with Chinese carmakers to support its struggling European operations, Bloomberg reported this month.






