“You have to be careful, but it doesn’t mean you say no to any business, because of certain prejudices, or this, or that, or because someone is pressuring you. For a country to survive and to be competitive, especially a small country, we need to have diversification,” Scicluna said.
Earlier this month, Italy — the euro zone’s third-largest economy — signaled its interest in joining the Chinese plan. Other European countries, namely Greece and Portugal, have also been supportive of Beijing’s efforts.
But there’s much less support for Beijing’s global investment push in the U.S. The White House has previously said Italy’s potential involvement in the BRI could hurt its international reputation, according to the Financial Times.
“I have heard the alarm being raised from the United States,” Italian Deputy Prime Minister Luigi di Maio said Sunday. “Let it be clear that, if we are looking at the Silk Road towards China for our exports, it is not to strike a political deal with China, but only to help our companies,” he said, according to Reuters.
Speaking to CNBC, Malta’s finance chief said the issue of the BRI is still quite new and “very sensitive.”
“One should not invite a fight, definitely not … But on the other hand, as a region we are sovereign, we have our own interests and we should look at that first.”
from Viral News Reports https://ift.tt/2NZFeze
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