The number of trains on the Yiwu-Europe route exceeded 400

Italy’s officially joining the China-led Belt and Road Initiative sparked a fierce debate. By analysing five fields of cooperation, the volume sheds light on whether the bilateral agreement has brought about an intensification of bilateral collaboration as wished by the Italian government as the time and whether the concerns around it have materialized.

The «One Belt, One Road» concept is an international initiative of China aimed at improving existing and creating new trade routes. It was first announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping in autumn 2013 during visits to Kazakhstan and Indonesia.