Italy says its relations with U.S. far more important than with China

ROME (Reuters) – Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Monday that Rome’s relations with the United States are much more important than its ties with China.

The United States has expressed concern over Italy’s links to China, particularly after a previous Italian government signed up to Beijing’s Belt and Road infrastructure drive in 2019.

“We are a strong trade partner with China, we have a historic relationship, but it is absolutely not comparable, and it does not interfere with, the alliance of values we have with the United States,” Di Maio said at a news conference with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

(Reporting By Gavin Jones; editing by Angelo Amante)