Dear readers,
This month, we shift the lens. Instead of analysing China from a distance, we speak with someone who has lived between worlds legally, culturally, and personally.
We are honored to feature Federico Roberto Antonelli, Director of the Italian Cultural Institute (IIC) in China and President of the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) China. Having served as a Legal Affairs Counsellor at the Italian Embassy in Beijing from 2011 to 2019, and as Cultural Counsellor since 2022, his career bridges vital domains. Furthermore, as an Adjunct Professor with a PhD in Comparative Law and post-doctoral research from Peking University, his deep academic focus on Chinese law, contemporary history, and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) profoundly shapes his worldview.
Our conversation explores what it means to navigate Europe–China relations not only as a diplomat or academic, but as someone intricately shaped by both contexts. Together, we examine how law, culture, identity, and geopolitics intersect in ways that are rarely linear and never simple. At a time when the debate around China is often polarised, this edition invites something different: perspective, nuance, and intellectual honesty.
We would like to extend a special thank you to Alessandro Forte for conducting this interview, and to Michela Putzolu and Adua Cabrera (康雅朵) for authoring this episode of the Guanxi Dialogue.
Our interview with Federico Antonelli opens with a question that many of us, writers or readers of this newsletter, may find familiar: how this interest in China began in the first place. For Antonelli, the answer dates back early in life, when he was taken to China by his mother, a professor and expert in Chinese studies, who moved to China for academic reasons. Having spent a significant portion of his life between Italy and China, Antonelli describes how this bicultural experience has shaped his identity and worldview. “The best person who could answer this question is my partner,” he ironically says, who witnesses this sort of double identity in him daily. To some extent, he explains, this way of thinking is inspired by the symbolism of Taoism, of the yin and the yang: always seeking the white within the black and the black within the white. In the same way, this double identity shaped his approach to life by pushing him to always try to look at things from different angles, taking into account different points of view. While being able to consider situations from different perspectives can be a strength, he admits that “at other times it has made it difficult for others to fully understand me.”
While Antonelli’s first contact with China began during his childhood, his interest in Chinese law only developed during his university years, at a time when China was entering the World Trade Organisation and opening up to international trade. During that time, he wrote his thesis at the Department of Political Science of Sapienza University of Rome, focusing in particular on the analysis and study of the development of Chinese corporate law and foreign investment in China. To explain to us how Chinese law has evolved in these years, he recalls being told by his professor at that time that “Chinese law does not exist.” Luckily, he says, 30 years later, China has developed a legal system which relies on standardised procedures and has begun to have an influence at the international level, thus significantly reducing the legal risks associated with investing in China. However, Antonelli explains, it is necessary to distinguish between law in the books and law in action. From a law-in-the-books perspective, the system is complete and standardised; however, from a law-in-action perspective, due to political influence or local protectionist pressures, this does not always occur. Indeed, he continues, it is important to understand that China is not a full rule-of-law system: it remains a system in which the law is not fully independent and will always be subject to political pressure. That being said, beyond the legal dimension, companies investing anywhere in the world need to increasingly take geopolitical factors and risks into account, and China is not an exception.
Furthermore, from a comparative law perspective, we asked Antonelli which topics deserve closer attention today. According to him, the most interesting topic, not only for the business environment, is the regulation of the digital sphere: from e-commerce to digital privacy and the regulation of artificial intelligence. These are new frontiers in which all countries are starting from scratch, and where dialogue is essential to find common solutions. No one has a clear advantage in this field, and what matters is learning and conducting research together.
With his background in mind, we wished to delve further into his current role as Director of the IIC in Beijing. His initial vision was to orient the Institute toward cultural and economic diplomacy, supporting the growth of the Made in Italy brand in China. However, upon taking office in 2022, a particularly crucial moment for Sino-Italian relations, he recognised the need to focus on cultural diplomacy as a means of strengthening eco-political ties and supporting the growing exchanges. To this end, he symbolically aligned his initiative with the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo’s death in 2024, honouring the Italian explorer who spent many years in China and thus embodies a powerful historical link between the two cultural powers. He attributes the success of this endeavour to the exhibition Journey of Knowledge: Marco Polo’s masterpiece Il Milione and His Legacy Between East and West, which highlights the crucial role played by Italian figures in fostering a deeper Western understanding of Asia. These figures include not only Marco Polo himself, but also Matteo Ricci. The exhibition was held for five months at the renowned Millennium Museum in Beijing, opening in July 2024. Prepared extensively since early that year, it marked a milestone for Italian diplomacy, affirming Italy’s cultural presence and historical legacy in China. The event was inaugurated by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and concluded by the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, “marking the pinnacle of relations between Italy and China.”
In Antonelli’s view, cultural diplomacy represents a key factor in the geopolitical landscape, serving as a tool to mitigate tensions and address global challenges. This is particularly evident in relations between Italy and China, “two great ancient civilisations,” where the sustained presence of Italian culture serves as a form of soft power, reinforcing Italy’s global influence and ultimately fostering economic and diplomatic dialogue. Another point covered concerns the prospects of Sino-Italian—and, more broadly, Sino-European—relations. Looking ahead to the next 5 to 10 years, Antonelli foresees sustained and growing cooperation in all economic, commercial, and technological fields. Behind this partnership lie economic and commercial interests rather than political ones, he claims. He also reiterates the central role of culture and mutual understanding as the foundation of these bilateral relationships. Finally, he adds that Europe and China represent the pillars of their respective civilisations at opposite poles of the globe and, as such, cannot avoid engaging in mutually beneficial interaction, both in the short and long term. In other words, it is only normal that the two powers clash due to their cultural differences, but it is also extremely important that they sustain dialogue to reduce these discrepancies, particularly in the context of current global tensions.
We then sought to explore this crucial mutual understanding in greater depth. When asked about common misconceptions regarding China, he argued that Westerners, whether European or Italian, often hold a distorted perception of the country, reducing it to a rigid framework. He emphasised that reality is not purely black or white. To illustrate this complexity, he skilfully invoked the Chinese symbol of yin and yang once again, in which black and white can coexist. According to him, only by embracing contradiction and setting aside European standards can Westerners achieve a deeper understanding of China.
It is precisely this piece of advice that he wishes to conclude the interview with, notably addressing young professionals, our core readership and the backbone of the European Guanxi network. He reminds us of the importance of remaining pragmatic and objective when it comes to China, moving beyond overly polarised positions and prejudices. According to him, the best way to do this is through continuous learning, drawing from lived experiences, and keeping an open mind. In a fast-changing and increasingly innovative world, this is no easy task, but it is an essential one for those who seek to engage with China in a thoughtful, informed, and constructive manner.