Francesco Sisci is currently the Asia adviser to Defence Minister Crosetto.
Francesco Sisci is an Italian sinologist, author and columnist who lives and works in Beijing. He is currently a senior research fellow at Renmin University of China and contributes to various journals and think tanks on geopolitical issues. In 2016, he was granted the first interview with the Pope on China. The interview received extensive coverage in the Chinese press, for the first time in the history of the Chinese Communist Party. He has been a contributor to *Il Sole 24 Ore* and *Asia Times* with his column *Sinograph*, and a regular commentator on international affairs for CCTV and Phoenix TV.