A diplomatic blunder has underscored the paralysis in Italy's cooperation with China against Chinese organised crime. Documents from Beijing relating to the attempted murder of a Chinese businessman in Italy in 2024 were sent via ordinary post and rejected by the Italian Justice Ministry's mailroom because staff were unaware of the package and refused to pay the delivery charge. The envelope was returned unopened, and a request to resend has not yet been fulfilled.
This episode reflects wider mistrust within Italy that is hampering efforts to combat Chinese gangs involved in illicit banking, drug trafficking, extortion, labour abuses, illegal immigration, tax evasion and murder. Italian prosecutors have opened dozens of investigations over the past decade, but say they need Beijing's help to penetrate networks that operate in tandem with counterparts in China. However, internal tensions among different branches of Italian law enforcement, as well as cybersecurity concerns and cooled political ties under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, have created resistance.
In September 2025, Chinese authorities proposed a meeting with chief prosecutor Luca Tescaroli in Prato, home to a large Chinese community and the hub of an alleged crime network controlling fast-fashion logistics. A high-level Chinese delegation visited in November 2025, providing names of masterminds behind the attempted murder, which Tescaroli described as an "epoch-making development." However, no follow-up meeting has occurred due to resistance within Italian law-enforcement agencies.
A judicial source said Rome feared that Chinese cooperation focused on violent crime and excluded probes into money-laundering through Chinese "underground banks." The National Anti-Mafia Prosecutor's Office also objected to a local prosecutor having a direct channel with Chinese police. Chief prosecutor Tescaroli acknowledged disagreements between independent prosecutors and state-controlled police, saying, "There are differing views... We are trying to move the cooperation forward."
Meanwhile, Italian police are proceeding cautiously. A senior police official said, "We're sniffing each other out." The Chinese Foreign Ministry stated willingness to strengthen law-enforcement cooperation, while Italy's national anti-mafia prosecutor said discussions continue through the Ministry of Justice, but there is no agreement on how to proceed.
