ROME/BEIJING, July 28 (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister

Giorgia Meloni vowed on Sunday to "relaunch" cooperation with

China, signing a three-year action plan during her first

official visit to Beijing since taking office, Italian news

agency ANSA reported.

Meloni made the announcement during a meeting with Chinese

Premier Li Qiang, as Rome seeks to improve trade ties with

Beijing after it exited President Xi Jinping's flagship Belt and

Road infrastructure investment scheme last year.

The Italian leader said her five-day trip was a

"demonstration of the will to begin a new phase, to relaunch our

bilateral cooperation", ANSA reported. The action plan will aim

to experiment with new forms of cooperation, she added.

Meloni, who sees Chinese investment as a way to spur Italy's

anaemic economic growth, will meet Xi and China's top

legislator, Zhao Leji, third in the leadership hierarchy.

She also attended an Italy-China business forum, to which

companies including Italian tyre-maker Pirelli, energy group

ENI, defence group Leonardo, wine producers and several Italian

luxury fashion groups such as Dolce & Gabbana were invited.

The forum gives "another signal of the mutual interest...

(to) balance more our interests, our commercial exchange," she

said. Meloni is expected to raise Chinese overcapacity with

Chinese officials, as well as Chinese economic support for

Russia in its war with Ukraine.

"China and Italy should adopt a win-win mentality and

increase trade and investment cooperation, making cooperation

even more dynamic and sustainable," said Li at the opening of

the forum, according to a video shared by Meloni's office.

Bilateral trade and industrial agreements are expected to

be signed during Meloni's trip, a source close to the planning

has said.

In 2019, Italy became the only Group of Seven country to

join the massive Belt and Road Initiative but withdrew last year

under U.S. pressure over concerns about Beijing's economic

reach.

Meloni's government said the deal had brought no benefits to

Italy, whose 73.9-billion-euro ($80-billion) annual trade with

China, according to latest data, is heavily tilted in Beijing's

favour. China is Italy's biggest non-EU trading partner after

the U.S.

Chinese state media said the trip aimed at "clarifying some

misunderstandings" over Italy's withdrawal from the Belt and

Road and stressing the importance of economic ties.

The Italian government is holding talks with Chinese

automakers as part of efforts to attract another major automaker

to the country in addition to Stellantis ( STLA ).

The stock of Italian foreign direct investment in China is

15 billion euros, and more than 1,600 Italian companies are

active, especially in textiles, mechanical engineering,

pharmaceuticals, energy and heavy industries.

However, Italy supported the European Commission's decision

to impose provisional tariffs of up to 37.6% on electric

vehicles imported from China. Beijing reacted angrily to the

probe and has launched retaliatory investigations into European

brandy and pork.

G7 members, including Italy, pledged last month that they

would continue to take actions to protect their businesses from

what they consider unfair Chinese trade practices.