Italy aims to be the primary partner of the United States "in terms of values" as well as trade, far-right interior minister and deputy premier Matteo Salvini said Monday during a visit to Washington.
"We seek to be top partners in terms of values, not only economically and commercially," Salvini told journalists in the US capital.
Salvini was later on Monday slated to meet secretary of state Mike Pompeo and US vice-president Mike Pence, Italy's interior ministry said. He was due to hold a press conference after his talks with Pence, according to the ministry.
In a report to Congress last month, the administration of populist US president Donald Trump included Italy on a monitoring list of nine countries with trade surpluses with the US.
Other nations that are being closely tracked are China, Germany, Ireland, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam.
Under a 1988 law, the Treasury Department has to report to Congress every six months on whether any countries are manipulating their currencies to gain trade advantages over the US.
