Italy tells China it’s leaving Belt and Road Initiative

Chinese President Xi Jinping, background left, talks with then-Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte during the signing of a memorandum of understanding in support of the Belt and Road Initiative, at Rome's Villa Madama, March 23, 2019/AP

Italy officially told China that it will leave the Belt and Road Initiative, or BRI, the first country to do so since the project was launched a decade ago. Despite the decision, Rome still plans to maintain good relations with Beijing, government sources said on Wednesday.