2018/11/22 by Guido Samarani · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #Italian Fascism and Post-war Society
paper · doi:10.1163/9789004388123_008
openalex publication_date 2018/11/22 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04
In 1954, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was in a position to consolidate the bases of its new power. China’s foreign policy, while maintaining the close alliance with Moscow and the socialist world, began to show interest in other parts of the world and especially in communist and socialist parties active in Western Europe. In this context, Italy held a special position, because intellectual leftist organizations and trends were particularly strong there, and the country was home to the largest Communist party in Western Europe. This chapter focuses on the Italian Communist Party’s (ICP) views and analysis of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) during the early Cold War, based on the memories of ICP leaders who visited China during those years. Their experiences undoubtedly represented a fundamental historical step towards the creation and development of important bilateral relations with the CCP. At the same time, these ICP leaders became central actors in the informal diplomacy between the two countries, notably because Italy and the PRC had no official diplomatic relations.