Italy is expected to mark a high-profile state visit by Chinese president Xi Jinping starting on Friday by becoming the first member of the G7 group of big industrialised countries to officially endorse Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Rome’s move to support BRI — a grand global project involving hundreds of billions in funding — has caused consternation among the country’s traditional allies, most notably the US, which is locked in a trade dispute with China.

At a time when a populist Italian coalition government has clashed with the EU over government spending and immigration, the visit of Mr Xi raises questions about a possible longer term shift in Italian diplomacy and how the country wants to position itself in the global world order.