Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini has described China as a “colossus of innovation”. He also urged Italian companies to seize opportunities in the Asian market, following a three-day visit to the country.
Salvini toured the Shanghai Yangshan port, the world’s busiest container terminal, on Friday. Afterwards, he said, “China is an innovation giant that cannot be ignored. Our commitment is to create new spaces and jobs for Italian companies.”
The Yangshan port, which handles more than 49 million containers annually, was praised by Salvini as a model of automation and large-scale infrastructure planning. The port covers nearly 4,000 square kilometres and features both river and deep-water docking facilities for large vessels.
During his official mission, Salvini promoted Italy’s potential “bridge role” between China and Europe, especially amid global tensions marked by tariffs and trade disputes. He emphasised the need for stronger cooperation with dynamic economies such as China and Japan, which he visited recently.
In Beijing, Salvini met with executives from BYD, the world’s leading electric vehicle manufacturer, which has already invested heavily in Hungary and Turkey. He used the meeting to reaffirm Italy’s stance on “technological neutrality,” criticising what he called the European Union’s “folly” of pushing electric vehicle mandates too quickly.
“Europe is burdened by bureaucracy and insane constraints,” he said. “While the US and China innovate and expand, we risk falling behind. Italy can be a point of reference for road safety, design, and autonomous driving.”
Salvini also held talks with Liu Wei, China’s Minister of Transport, and extended an invitation to attend the opening of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. He announced plans to return to China in the coming months, with a particular interest in visiting Shenzhen, the country’s tech hub in Guangdong.
Salvini’s vanity project among the discussion items
Meetings with Chinese officials also included discussions on the Strait of Messina Bridge project, which Salvini described as “a unique engineering challenge in the world.” He said there was admiration in China for the planned 3.3-kilometre single-span bridge, far surpassing the one-kilometre spans seen in Chinese infrastructure.
“I invited both Chinese and Japanese representatives to the bridge’s inauguration,” Salvini said. “While in Italy some are ready to say no, here they move forward.”
He emphasised that while Italy will remain cautious in strategic sectors, there is room for collaboration in non-strategic areas. “Some of our companies, like Leonardo and Eni, are already active in China,” Salvini noted. “This is a market I wouldn’t want to leave to others.”
Salvini’s visit signals a renewed interest in strengthening Italy’s trade and infrastructure partnerships with China, focusing on transport, energy, and technology sectors. It follows Italy’s decision to leave the Silk Road initiative in 2023.
