Of Ernesto Ferrante
Source: Public Opinion
Italy cannot and must not miss the extraordinary opportunity of the new Silk Road. The signing of the agreement with China, it would give our country the opportunity to act as an authoritative player on the multipolar chessboard, consigning to the archives the flattening of US unipolar positions that have characterized its foreign policy from the post-war period onwards, net of Mattei's circumscribed and limited jolts, Moro and Craxi.
The memorandum with the Asian power does not include obligations, but shared principles for the organization of specific forms of economic cooperation. The exact opposite of that danger of "colonization" that the Atlanticists of blood, of ideology or confession they fear.
It's cheeky, It is unacceptable and immoral that those who take on the role of caring friends are the singers of Washington's deeds, Bruxelles, Paris and London, sources of economic and geopolitical misfortune and disaster for Italy. If the "allies" are those of the 113 military bases on our soil, of Britannia, of the balanced budget in the Constitution and of the Libyan disaster, better to stay away from it.
In the yellow-green executive there is no shortage of door barriers on the Silk Road train, although fortunately the undersecretaries for Economic Development Geraci and Transport Rixi (both Northern League members) and several important members of the M5S (the Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs Manlio Di Stefano first and foremost), they are able to make their voices heard with serious arguments, supported by data.
The negotiation is nearing completion and could be signed during the state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Rome (scheduled for 22 e 23 March) or at the end of April, between 25 and the 27, when the second Forum on the "Belt and Road Initiative" will take place in Beijing.
Ours would be the first G7 country to benefit from the strategic and economic advantages of that economic belt along the ancient Silk Road which will open a market of three billion consumers. "Yi Dai Yi Lu", in Mandarin.
“One Belt One Road” in our language. A “belt” of roads, railways for the transport of goods, gas and oil pipelines, telecommunications lines that starting from China will cross Central Asia, Russia, the Middle East to reach Europe. A maritime "road" that begins from the large ports of Shanghai and Canton, it sails along the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean, stops in Kenya, goes up the Red Sea, arrives in the Mediterranean with a stopover in Piraeus and ends in Venice.
Sixty-seven countries have already signed up to the Belt and Road Initiative. I already am 13 the EU countries that have signed a memorandum of understanding with China. This is Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia and Slovenia. China is the largest trading partner of 126 nations; the United States of 56.
To those who still hang on the lips of high-class salon trombones like the political scientist Luttwak, according to which "the choice to be with China would demonstrate that Italy once again turns out to be provincial and out of the picture", it is barely necessary to reel off a few resounding numbers: Chinese projects include investments for 900 billion dollars in the next 5-10 years; 502 billion in 62 Countries within 2021, according to calculations by Credit Suisse analysts.
He first Tale, who seems to have grasped the importance of the new Silk Road, do Marco Polo and give Italy the chance to explore an unknown world called full sovereignty, with the free choice of the best strategic options on an economic and political level. In the exclusive interest of the Italian people.