Title page

Contents

Abstract 1

Introduction 2

1. China's rise as a global scientific powerhouse 3

1.1. The international component of China's innovation system 5

1.2. Scientific cooperation along the Belt and Road 7

2. Scientific cooperation between Italy and China 9

2.1. The reach of the Chinese innovation system into Italy 10

2.2. The BRI and the 2019 S&T agreements: A breakthrough or natural evolution? 12

2.3. The consequences of the 2019 agreements and the controversies of Chinese technologies in Italy 16

Conclusion 19

References 21