Italian Delegation in Yangzhou to Deepen Commercial Exchanges

Last week the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce (CICC), together with the Consulate General of Italy in Shanghai, met the mayor of Yangzhou and participated in two valuable activities aimed at strengthening cooperation with this city located in the Jiangsu province: respectively the 2022 China-Italy (Yangzhou) Cultural, Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum on December 15th, followed the next day by the Opening Ceremony of Chinese and Italian Food Culture Display.  

Among the participants in the China-Italy (Yangzhou) Cultural, Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum: Mr Wang Jinjian, Mayor of Yangzhou, Ms Tiziana D’Angelo, Consul General of Italy in Shanghai, Ms Yang Jing, Deputy Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of Jiangsu Provincial People's Government, Mr Xu Xunhua, Secondary Inspector of Jiangsu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, Mr Gaetano Cantalupo, Vice President for East China of the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce and General Manager of Comau (Shanghai) Engineering Co., Ltd., Mr Ermanno Vitali, CICC Board Member and CEO of YiXing Faam Industrial Batteries Co., Ltd., Mr Langjun, Mayor of Guangling District of Yangzhou, and Ms Che Guohua, Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of Yangzhou Municipal People's Government, who acted as moderator of the event.

Wang Jinjian, Mayor of Yangzhou

As pointed out by the mayor of Yangzhou, Mr Wang Jinjian, Marco Polo came to China and visited Yangzhou more than 700 years ago, paving the way for friendly exchanges between the city of Yangzhou and Italy.

It is no coincidence that Yangzhou built the only Marco Polo Memorial Hall in China – a museum dedicated to the Venetian traveler and author of "Il Milione" – and established a friendship with Rimini and Venice, laying a solid foundation for promoting further exchanges and cooperation between the two countries. 

A concrete example of this fruitful collaboration is that during the last years, several Italian enterprises, such as Jiangsu Angelo International Trading Co., Ltd., have chosen to invest in this city. 

Moreover, in 2021, Italy became Yangzhou’s third-largest trading partner among EU Countries, demonstrating a good foundation and broad prospects for Yangzhou-Italy business cooperation.

Tiziana D’Angelo, Consul General of Italy in Shanghai

Liu Kan, Consul General of China in Milan (connected remotely)

Yang Jing, Deputy Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of Jiangsu

Xu Xunhua, the Second Level Inspector of Jiangsu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism

The event was an important opportunity for the Consulate General of Italy in Shanghai to launch the upgrading project of the Marco Polo Memorial Hall together with the Yangzhou Municipal Government.

Moreover, the two sides also signed a memorandum of cooperation to build the Sino-Italian Marco Polo Research and Exchange Center to promote cultural exchanges and mutual learning between China and Italy.

In the second part of the event, representatives of universities and companies were given the voice. In the consolidation of commercial relations between Italy and Yangzhou, the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce, representing the voice of over 850 companies, plays a fundamental role – as underlined by Mr Gaetano Cantalupo, CICC Vice President for East China and General Manager of Comau (Shanghai) Engineering Co., Ltd.

Gaetano Cantalupo, CICC Vice President for East China and General Manager of Comau (Shanghai) Engineering Co., Ltd.
 

Among the participants were Ms Tiziana Lippiello, Rector of Ca’ Foscari University of Venice (connected remotely), Mr Chen Wei, Manager of CICC Shanghai Office, Mr Zhou Jincao, General Manager of Jiangsu Angelo International Trading Co., Ltd., Mr Li Yingxian, General Manager of Deppolit (Wuxi) International Trading Co., Ltd., and Mr Lv Jian, Marketing Manager of Collier (Tianjin) Packaging Co., Ltd.

Tiziana Lippiello, Rector of Ca’ Foscari University of Venice (connected remotely)

On the second day, the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce participated in the opening ceremony of the Chinese and Italian Food Culture Display to promote one of the key sectors of cooperation between the two countries: the agri-food sector. Chinese and foreign guests gathered by Yangzhou Slender West Lake to taste Huaiyang food culture and promote the prosperity of the food creative city.
 

Among the speakers invited to the opening ceremony:

Mr Tang Weihua, Vice Mayor of Yangzhou, Mr Gaetano Cantalupo, CICC Vice President for East China and General Manager of Comau (Shanghai) Engineering Co., Ltd., Mr Wang Yuxin, President of the Municipal Tourism Association, and Mr Lang Jun, District Head of Guangling District People's Government, attended and delivered speeches. 

Among the notable guests in attendance:

Ms Yang Jing, Deputy Director of Foreign Affairs Office of Jiangsu, Mr Xu Xunhua, Second Level Inspector of the Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, Ms Che Guohua, Director of the Municipal Foreign Affairs Office of Yangzhou, Mr Ermanno Vitali, CICC Board Member and CEO of YiXing Faam Industrial Batteries Co., Ltd., and Mr Chen Wanqing, President of Yangzhou Huaiyang Cuisine Chefs Association.

This event laid the foundations for future collaboration to promote exchanges and cooperation between food enterprises in China and Italy, boost the development of Yangzhou as a “UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy”, and deepen China-Italy economic and trade cooperation.

Tang Weihua, Vice mayor of Yangzhou

Gaetano Cantalupo, CICC Vice President for East China and General Manager of Comau (Shanghai) Engineering Co., Ltd.