At the dawn of modern Italo-Chinese relations: Ludovico Nocentini’s experience

Abstract

In 1904 Ludovico Nocentini 1 described China as a hub of colonial and commercial development for European powers. Europe in the Far East and the Italian Interests in China 2 was Nocentini’s last and most critical book, in which he compared the performance of the Italian government with that of other countries and showed Rome’s inefficiency overseas. The book expatiated on the "carving up" of China into spheres of influence by the Western powers, while examining how the Italian government’s scant regard for the definition and pursuit of the country’s national interest jeopardized not only the development of its colonial policy, but also its foreign trade and industrial progress.