Italian Policy towards China: the Trading State Approach

Abstract

A good starting point when looking at the Italian standing in Asia, and particularly in China, is the fact that Italy has no important colonial legacy in the region.¹ Thus, its policies in Asia today are essentially unhindered by historical animosities or resentment. The factors that may at times have complicated the position of other European countries vis-à-vis China are absent in the Italian case. This provides a good political and psychological background for a dynamic approach to the Asia-Pacific countries. However, the absence of a traditional and established link to Asia means that institutional channels, as well as societal and personal ties, have a weak base on which to be built. In other words, Italy is much like a newcomer to the region: a reality which implies, per se, both comparative advantages and disadvantages.