A spokesman for the US White House’s national security adviser said on Saturday that the Italian government should not support China’s ‘Belt and Road’ infrastructure initiative, calling it a “vanity project.”
“Italy is a major global economy and great investment destination. No need for the Italian government to lend legitimacy to China’s infrastructure vanity project,” said US spokesman Garrett Marquis on Twitter.
The tweet came after Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte remarked in March that he was considering signing an accord with Chinese President Xi Jinping despite reports that the administration of US President Donald Trump was concerned at the prospect of Italy joining the venture.
A planned visit by Xi to Italy March 22-24 was noted by Conte, who pointed out that Rome and Beijing would seek a framework deal during the state visit.
Earlier, US spokesperson Marquis warned Rome that the project would unlikely “bring any sustained economic benefits to the Italian people” and that it “may end up harming Italy’s global reputation in the long run.”