UPDATE 1-Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi to visit Italy, Switzerland this week

(Adds context of recent geopolitical ties improving between Beijing and Rome in paragraphs 2-6.) SHANGHAI, Oct 5 (Reuters) – China's foreign minister Wang Yi will visit Italy and Switzerland from Tuesday until October 12, China's foreign ministry said on Sunday. The visit follows Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's trip to Beijing in late July, her first visit to China since taking power in 2022, during which the two countries signed a three-year action plan and several memorandums of understanding. Despite voting in favour of the European Commission's 2024 decision to impose tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, Italy has tried to stay in Beijing's good books – consistently highlighting the merits of Chinese firms and investment in Europe. In September, Italy's deputy prime minister, in an interview with Chinese state media, talked up cooperation with China in the auto industry, saying "the two countries enjoy broad prospects for cooperation in automobiles, smart roads and other transport areas." Italy's government last Monday also offered an olive branch to state-backed Chinese group Sinochem, the main shareholder of tyre maker Pirelli, by establishing it had not violated measures Rome imposed in 2023. Two years ago, Rome used so-called "golden power" legislation, designed to shield companies deemed of strategic national importance, to curb Sinochem's influence inside Pirelli and to protect Pirelli's managerial autonomy. Wang will join the 12th joint meeting of the China-Italy Government Committee and the fourth round of the China-Switzerland Foreign Ministers-level Strategic Dialogue, the ministry said in a statement. (Reporting by Casey Hall; Editing by William Mallard and Lincoln Feast.)

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