Pragmatism Behind Performance: Italy’s Engagement and Disengagement with China’s Belt and Road Initiative
René Neumann and Melania El Khayat were selected among the ten shortlisted essays to be published on Asia Centre’s website, following their submission to the Asia Centre Essay Challenge first edition “China Geopolitics”.
Find the full essay via the PDF button above.
Abstract:
Hǔ tóu shé wěi (虎头蛇尾), literally “a tiger’s head and a snake’s tail,” meaning “starting off with a bang, ending with a whimper,” is how Chinese observers may describe Italy’s brief engagement with the Belt and Road Initiative. Rome became the first G7 nation to sign on in 2019, defying transatlantic expectations and projecting a bold new direction in foreign policy. However, four years later, it quietly backed out. At first glance, this abrupt reversal may look like a failed experiment or a populist impulse gone cold, but beneath the surface, Italy’s BRI story is less about inconsistency than calculation.
- What Really Drove Italy’s U-Turn on China?
- The Tiger’s Head: Italy’s Entry into the BRI
- The Snake’s Tail: Italy’s Exit from China’s Orbit
- Conclusion: Italy’s BRI trajectory as a case of performative pragmatism
Illustration : Presidency of the Italian Republic, [Il Presidente della Repubblica, Sergio Mattarella con il Presidente della Repubblica Popolare Cinese, Xi Jinping, in occasione della Visita di Stato], Quirinale.it, accessed on November 17, 2025, https://www.quirinale.it/elementi/122785.
Pragmatism Behind Performance: