Foreign influence in Italy: Beijing invests, Moscow intrudes

Foreign influence in Italy: Beijing invests, Moscow intrudes

Decoding the news. Two distinct but converging approaches test Italy’s ability to detect and manage foreign influence: on one side, China operates economically, cultivating goodwill through strategic investments; on the other, Russia leverages cultural channels and narratives to legitimise its regime and circumvent political isolation. Both strategies directly impact national sovereignty and Italy’s broader international alignment. Russia’s str…