Appreciation Meeting with Beijing Municipal Authorities

On June 13th, the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce organized the first edition of the “Beijing Appreciation Meeting“ together with the Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau and the Beijing Investment Promotion Service Center, and with the support the Embassy of Italy to the P.R.C.

The meeting represented a first-time open dialogue between CICC, its member companies in Beijing and relevant Municipal Authorities, and was realized with the support of Italian institutions.

Around 20 Member companies had the opportunity to attend the dialogue and introduce themselves during the meeting. The Italian companies present at the event, represented a wide range of sectors including lifestyle & fashion, energy, healthcare, banking and insurance, sports, construction materials, legal and consulting.
Our board Members Sarah Orlando, Head of the Beijing Branch of Orcom C&A Advisors and Davide Cirelli, Chairman and M.D. of Snam China guided the discussion.  

In his opening remarks Sun Yao, Secretary of the Party Committee and Director-General of the Beijing Municipal Investment Promotion Center, remarked the importance of the opinions and suggestions of the Chambers of Commerce and their member companies and acknowledged the importance of their support for the Beijing’s economic and social development.
Beijing, as the capital of China, is focused on becoming an internationally renowned, harmonious, and livable city. Mr Sun encouraged a stronger future cooperation, and recognized the potential key role of CICC in acting as a bridge between the municipal government and the Italian business community in Beijing.

Marco Midolo, First Counsellor and Head of the Economic and Commercial Office at the Embassy of Italy to the P.R.C., thanked the organizers, the Authorities and the Italian Companies who attended the Appreciation Meeting.
He recalled the long tradition of cooperation between Italy and the Municipality of Beijing and highlighted the quality of the Italian entrepreneurial presence in Beijing. 
He also stressed that the collaboration and the dialogue with the local Authorities is important for a friendly business environment and to improve the market access conditions.

The meeting was an opportunity to share with the local authorities the position and challenges of the Italian companies in the Beijing market. 
This was presented by Fabio Antonello, CICC Vice-President for the North and G.M. at Regina (Tianjin) Chain & Belt Co., Ltd. who voiced the hope for a stable economic recovery, supported by specific policies in favor of strategic sectors and facilitating access to credit.  After 2022, which witnessed a reduction in turnover and in value creation, 2023 started with reborn energy and desire for recovery. However, the common feeling is that this has not yet been matched by clear policy measures which can make it sustainable.

A concrete set of information and figures about the economic relevance of Beijing and the work of the Municipality to support businesses emerged then from the presentations of the Beijing Municipal Development and Reform Commission (DRC) and the Beijing “Two Zones” Office.

The Beijing Municipal Development and Reform Commission (DRC) introduced the efforts made by the Municipality to improve the international business environment.  These include the building of a solid legal framework and simplification of bureaucracy for foreign companies. In the past five years, many significant results have been achieved in this respect with significant simplification of business procedures.

Beijing “Two Zones” Office introduced the Beijing service and financial industry continuous expansion and opening up and the efforts made to relax access and operational restrictions to foster new investments as well as the implementation of measures to support the living of foreign talents in Beijing.

In the second part of the meeting, questions to relevant municipal departments representatives were raised from Italian companies in different sectors: fashion retail; international consumption; energy; finance and culture and leisure.

Present on the occasion, also, the Director of the Italian Institute of Culture in Beijing, Federico Antonelli.

The dialogue between Italian enterprises and the authorities opened a discussion on how to improve the work and life of Italian companies in Beijing. On this occasion the Municipality has taken the chance to  communicate to the enterprises attending the meeting the policies and actions undertaken in different fields.

Tang Yonghong, Member of the Party Group and Deputy Director of the Municipal Investment Promotion Center concluded the meeting encouraging an increased collaboration and dialogue to support the development of Italian companies in Beijing.

The two sides convened on the importance – all the more so in the present times – to make the meeting a first of a series, taking this first appreciation meeting as a chance to create a path forward for  continuous dialogue and determined cooperation. An Important key word emerged during the meeting: “bridge”. 

CICC will continue the dialogue with relevant actors on the territory to support Italian companies in Beijing, strengthening mutual understanding, improving market access, and fostering development.

Municipal Departments attending the meeting: Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau, Beijing Investment Service Center, Beijing Municipal Commission of Development and Reform, Beijing Municipal Bureau of Local Financial Regulation and Supervision, Beijing Municipal Ecological Environment Bureau, Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, Beijing “Two Zones” Office.

Companies attending the meeting: Beijing AiYiHuaNa Technology Co., Ltd, Calzedonia Shanghai Co. Ltd, Chiomenti Studio Legale Beijing Representative Office, DAB Pumps (Qingdao) Co., Ltd, D’ Andrea & Partners, ENI, Foshan Piaggio Vehicles Technology R&D Co., Ltd, Greatview Beijing Trading Co., Ltd., Generali China Life Insurance Co., Ltd., GWA - Greatway Advisory, Integra Group, Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A. Beijing Representative Office, Mondo Floorings (China)Co.,Ltd, ORCOM C&A Advisors, Pirola Advisory China – Beijing, RECORDATI (BEIJING) PHARMACEUTICAL CO., LTD, Regina (Tianjin) Chain & Belt Co., Ltd, Snam Gas & Energy Services (Beijing) Co., Ltd., Technoalpin Snow Making Equipment (Sanhe) Co., Ltd., UniCredit S.p.A. Beijing Representative Office, Zegna (China) Enterprise Management Co. Ltd. 

Have any questions? Please contact at bj.events@cameraitacina.com.