Boost for Taiwan from Italy's New Prime Minister?
Giorgia Meloni made history as Italy’s first female prime minister Oct 22. As the President of Brothers of Italy, the country’s ultra-conservative party, we examine what a populist right leaning China-critical administration could mean for Taiwan. Meloni, in a rare gesture from Italian leaders, spoke directly to Taiwan media and publicly mentioned the need to employ political and economic means to prevent a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. With over 300,000 Chinese citizens in Italy, Taiwan Talks explores how Italy can balance its trade ties with China and will it eventually pull out of the Belt and Road Initiative? In this episode, Lai I-chung, Prospect Foundation President, and Marcin Jerzewski, European Values Center for Security Policy Taiwan Office Head, spoke to us about the current political landscape in Italy and what is behind her support for Taiwan and what it could mean for the region’s geopolitics. Francesca Ghiretti, Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS) Analyst in Brussels originally from Italy and Enrico Cao, Taiwan Strategy Research Association Associate Researcher also a native of Italy shared the economic and security implications of the new Meloni administration. Topics discussed: - Meloni’s rise to power and overall rising trend of conservatism in Europe - Vocal stance against Chinese military aggression towards Taiwan - Taiwan’s significance to Italy and the EU - Chinese investment in Italy and its stance on the Belt and Road Initiative - Balancing anti-Chinese sentiment in Italy - How Zero-COVID drives Italian businesses away from China - Italy’s G7 role and how it could impact Indo-Pacific security - Improving business ties with Taiwan
