Back and forth, friendly and always with the utmost mutual respect, between Michele Geraci and Marta Dassù, guests of Giorgio Zanchini on Radio Anch’io of Rai Radio 1.
The topics covered range from the Atlanticism of Italy to the MoU with China on the Silk Road. Let’s see the highlights of my interview, available in full at this link.
1) MoU con la Cina is a process started with Gentiloni and continued and concluded by us, Count I. The tasks were well defined: I was in charge of the economic part, Minister Moavero and Premier Conte of the geopolitical part, all with the approval of President Mattarella, person whose Atlanticist thinking cannot be questioned. So, all done in respect of our membership in NATO and Western and Atlantic values.
2) The benefits are few for various reasons: those who replaced me had very harsh statements against China and the MoU itself, so this attitude could not help our companies. Then there was the Covid, which, however, gives us a pretext for the “delay”, now we must take it back. After all, the benefits cannot materialise in a few months, with China, those who know it, know that it takes time.
3) In response to the criticism of not having understood the political significance of the agreement by Dr Dassù, I reply that, instead, because we understood the political value that China has given to the agreement. It is as if, kindly, we had discharged the task of demonstrating with numbers the goodness and usefulness of the agreement for Italy.
4) Tensions with the USA, there were yes, but well managed by us, despite a catastrophic narrative has spread. This vision of mine is still demonstrated by numbers: just after the signing of the MoU, a moment of temporary misunderstanding with the USA, We flew to Washington to explain the reasons and even to negotiate that the 5 billion products of Made in Italy were excluded from the list of duties. And our American friends have understood our reasons and removed the duties.
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