Meloni was speaking at a meeting with President Xi on a visit to the Chinese capital after Italy exited Xi's flagship Belt and Road Initiative last year and amid deteriorating trade ties between the bloc and the world's second-largest economy,
.
Meloni stressed that Italy could play an important role in EU-China relations. The Italian PM then told Xi that she hoped to "create trade relations that are as balanced as possible."
"Both sides face important opportunities for mutual development," Xi told Meloni at the start of their meeting. "If countries are connected, they will advance together. If they are closed, they will retreat," he added.
"China and Italy should uphold the spirit of the Silk Road... so that the bridge of communication between East and West through it can rebound into a new era."
Italy is of strategic importance to China as it has struck out on its own with Beijing before, and could prove to be a moderating voice within the bloc.
In 2019, Italy became the only member of the Group of Seven industrialised democracies to join Xi's BRI infrastructure initiative that aims to resurrect the ancient trade route.
And while Italy eventually left the infrastructure investment scheme last year, under pressure from the U.S. over concerns about Beijing's economic reach, Rome signalled it still desired to forge stronger trade ties with the Asian giant.
