In a major jolt to ‘expansionist’ China, Italy withdrew from Xi Jinping’s ‘ambitious’ Belt and Road initiative. Italy, the only G7 nation to be part of BRI, quit the economic corridor dismissing fears of damaging Italian economy, said govt sources. Italy became part of BRI in 2019 after ignoring warnings from US that it might let China control sensitive technologies. As per Reuters, Italian PM Meloni wanted to withdraw from the deal as it hadn’t brought “significant gains” to Italy. However, China has not reacted after the Italy Government’s move regarding the Belt and Road initiative. Notably, more than 100 countries have signed agreements with China to cooperate on BRI projects since the scheme was launched in 2013. Italy’s move to quit BRI came as Italy is likely to elevate ties with India making several engagements between countries. India and China are at odds on many issues varying from trade to border disputes. Notably, Indian PM Narendra Modi met Italian PM Giorgia Meloni during the COP28 Summit in Dubai. The heads of the countries also held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of recently concluded G20 in Delhi in September. Italy and India are among the countries who signed India Middle East Europe Economic Corridor project initiative in Delhi.