- Title: U.S.'s Pompeo asks Italy to be wary of China's "predatory" moves
- Date: 2nd October 2019
- Summary: ROME, ITALY (OCTOBER 2, 2019) (REUTERS) U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE MIKE POMPEO AND ITALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER LUIGI DI MAIO ARRIVING AT NEWS CONFERENCE MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE, MIKE POMPEO, SAYING: "And finally, Italy is a friend and a sovereign nation with the right to make its own choices but, as I've done in Budapest and Bangkok, I urged my Italian friends to see how China uses its economic power to cultivate political influence and erode sovereignty. I raised concerns about China's zero sum predatory approach to trade and investment and what it could mean throughout Europe and Africa and the world at large." (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) ITALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER, LUIGI DI MAIO, SAYING: "For me the subject of (U.S.) tariffs (on Italian goods) is very important and I told it to the Secretary Pompeo. The subject of tariffs worried us a lot because we have companies that survive on exports and on the possibility of letting the world know the Ferraris of the wines, the Ferraris of the Italian food industry, the Ferraris of craftsmanship all over the world." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE, MIKE POMPEO, SAYING: "I've asked for Italy's support too, we talked it about today, the necessary task of confronting (Venezuelan President) Nicolas Maduro for his repression, and the socialist mismanagement that is taking place in Venezuela. EU sanctions should be enforced against Russia until such time that the situation changes materially." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE, MIKE POMPEO, SAYING: "And we should continue to stay united against Iranian aggression, European nations have begun to wake up to the fact that Iran is the aggressor and not the aggrieved and that fact is also clear from Italy's decision not to renew Mahan Air's access to Italy and we're very grateful for that." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS POMPEO AND DI MAIO SHAKING HANDS AND LEAVING
- Embargoed: 16th October 2019 13:20
- Keywords: U.S. tariffs on Italian goods Italy Iran Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro China foreign policy Rome U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio
- Location: ROME, ITALY
- City: ROME, ITALY
- Country: Italy
- Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001AZEN2VB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday (October 2) he had warned Italy to be wary of China's "predatory" approach to international relations and sought Italian support for U.S. policy on Venezuela and Iran.
"I urged my Italian friends to see how China uses its economic power to cultivate political influence and erode sovereignty," Pompeo told reporters after a meeting with Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio.
"I raised concerns about China's zero sum predatory approach to trade and investment and what it could mean throughout Europe and Africa and the world at large," he said.
The United States expressed its disapproval earlier this year when Italy joined China's huge Belt and Road international trade and infrastructure initiative.
Pompeo also said he had asked for Italy's support in the "necessary task" of confronting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said that Rome was worried by the prospect of U.S. tariffs on Italian exports.
"The subject of tariffs worried us a lot because we have companies that survive on exports," Di Maio told reporters, adding his government would do all it could to defend the interests of Italian exporters, and the U.S. market was particularly important at a time when the European economy was slowing down.
(Production: Cristiano Corvino, Antonio Denti, Gabriele Pileri, Fabiano Franchitti, Emily Roe) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
