East China Members Meeting in Shanghai - 7 March 2024

On 7 March, the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce (CICC) held its 2024 East China Members' Meeting in Shanghai, bringing together over 80 CICC member companies operating in different business sectors.

The meeting, moderated by the CICC Board Member Giada Piccinini, was led by Chairman Paolo Bazzoni and attended by Consul General Tiziana D'Angelo, the Director of the ICE/ITA Office in Shanghai Augusto Di Giacinto, the Head of the SACE Shanghai Office Donato Morea, the CICC Treasurer Lorenzo Riccardi, the CICC Board Members Emilio Cassanelli and Giacomo Bove, and several representatives of the CICC Working Groups, key players in the Chamber System with aggregating capacities of companies in individual sectors.

During the event, the different speakers presented the main activities which have and will engage the Italian system in the next months in supporting the Italian enterprises in Eastern China, with a focus on the first half of 2024.

The Consul General emphasized the importance of collaborating and working on activities in a synergetic way, involving as much as possible all companies and partners of the Italian system.

As underlined by the CICC Chairman, once again for 2024 the common denominator of all the actions planned by our Chamber continues to be quality, with constant support and dedication to its members and presence in the territories, not only in China, but also in Italy, thanks to the constant dialogue with the trade associations with which the CICC has launched concrete collaborations.

Moving to the core of the meeting, it is clear that Italy will play a leading role in China in the coming months, through a number of initiatives put in place by the different players.

Italy will be present at numerous trade fairs organized by ICE with some italian pavilion in Shanghai: from the medical device fair CMEF 2024 (11-14 APR), to CHINA GLASS (25-28 APR), to promote an industry where Italy is the second European exporter to China after Germany (curved glass machinery). Beauty is another sector in which Italy is concentrating its attention, with the participation to the China Beauty Expo (22-24 May), the largest beauty trade show in Asia. These are just some of the promotional initiatives organized by ICE in the first half of 2024.

As the Export Credit Agency of Italy, SACE also plays a pivotal role in fostering the growth of Italian enterprises. Specifically through the Push Strategy and its associated business matching events, SACE acts as a bridge between international buyers and Italian SMEs, facilitating valuable business relationships that enhance trade between Italy and China. The Push Strategy encompasses all industries strategic for Italian export, including Energy, Pharmaceutical, food, fashion and furniture.

Throughout the several speeches of the CICC board members, particular attention was paid to past and future activities related to the territories of Shanghai, Zhejiang, Anhui, Suzhou and Jiangsu.

Looking to the future, a program full of valuable events was presented, with the return in June of the renowned Panda d'Oro, a gala dinner during which Italian leading companies are awarded; as many as two career days in cooperation with the two renowned universities Fudan and Tongji, business roundtables to investigate market trends and measure the business sentiment of our companies, as well as activities to consolidate our presence in the territories and contact with local authorities in Suzhou, Nanjing, Wuxi, Hangzhou and Changzhou, to name just a few.

We would also like to thank the representatives of the working groups who took the floor and presented their upcoming activities: 

Riccardo Budriesi, Coordinator of the Mechanical Engineering Working Group (MEWG) & CEO at Marposs (Shanghai) Technologies Co., Ltd.; 

Luigi Fiato, Vice Coordinator of the Energy and Environment Protection Working Group (EEPWG) & Industry APAC Director, RINA (Shanghai) INDUSTRY INNOVATION &TECHNOLOGY Co., LTD.; 

Carlotta Godio, Vice Coordinator of the Italian Quality & Lifestyle Council (IQLC) & General Manager at FLATMIND VIDEO PRODUCTIONS Co., LTD. SHANGHAI; 

Fabio Giacopello, Coordinator of the Intellectual Property Working Group (IPWG) & Senior Partner of HFG Law & Intellectual Property in Shanghai; 

Valtero Canepa, Coordinator of the Healthcare Working Group (HCWG) & General Manager, Shanghai Bracco Sine Pharmaceutical;

Vincenzo Morano, Coordinator of the Logistic Working Group (LWG) & Founder & Executive Director of Insiderchina; 

Cristina Corsini, Vice Coordinator of the Food and Beverage Working Group (FBWG) & CEO of Good Italy; 

Pasquale Pometti, Vice Coordinator of the China-Italy Young Professionals Network & Software Engineering Manager at Magelec Propulsion.

Following the meeting, a networking dinner was held at the Italian restaurant Bellavita Jingan.