CICC Organized the 2nd Chongqing Appreciation Meeting

On May 20th, the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce (CICC) with the support of Consulate of Italy in Chongqing organized the 2nd Chongqing Appreciation Meeting. Mr. Fabio Schina, Consul General of Italy in Chongqing, Mr. Paolo Bazzoni, Vice President of CICC in Southwest, representatives of four invested enterprises in Chongqing, relevant departments of Chongqing Municipal Economic and Informatization Commission, Municipal Commission of Commerce ，Administrative Committee of the Liangjiang New Area and representatives of Chongqing Yuelai Investment Group attended the meeting.

This is the 2nd time of the Chongqing Appreciation Meeting organized by CICC since 2023, and such a dialogue platform serves as a long-term event format to provide an opportunity for all companies and entrepreneurs in Chongqing to discuss common topics and improvements in different areas where the local government can better support the local Italian business.

Mr. Fabio Schina mentioned Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle, pointing out that Chongqing is an important city of strategic significance for Italy, and the investment enterprises in Chongqing have great potentials and have a very broad space for development. The good development of enterprises in Chongqing is a new wind vane for Italian enterprises that have not yet arrived.

Mr. Paolo Bazzoni, firstly thanked the participants for the support given to the cooperation and development of Chinese and Italian enterprises, and then he briefly shared the development of CICC and pointed out that Southwest China is a very important area in the development plan of CICC, especially in Chongqing Municipality and the Liangjiang New Area. CICC will always be committed to providing services and platforms for Italian companies to develop in China. This meeting with the Chongqing authorities will stimulate the adoption of more effective cooperation initiatives between Italian and Chinese companies in the Southwest region, especially in the fields of machinery, design and lifestyle.

Liu Xuemei, director of the exchange and cooperation department of the Municipal Economic and Information Commission, said that in the 20 years of Sino-Italian cooperation, Italian companies have invested fruitfully in Chongqing. Liangjiang New Area actively promotes the development of three major industrial clusters, including intelligent & connected new energy vehicles. The industrial economy grew 8.6 percent in the first quarter, with the automotive industry growing 23.7 percent. The Municipal Commission of Economy and Information will strengthen the planning of new energy industry, support the digitalization of factories, guarantee the supply of electricity in summer, also to promote the cooperation between Chongqing and Italy in the fields of automotive, new energy and intelligent manufacturing.

Gao Wen, Director of European and American Department of Municipal Commission of Commerce, mentioned that the first Chongqing Appreciation Meeting, held last year, achieved good results and promoted the economic and trade cooperation between Chongqing and Italy. He looks forward to further deepening the bilateral investment cooperation with Italy in the fields of intelligent manufacturing, biomedicine, and other areas, expanding the scale of bilateral trade, and welcoming Italian enterprises to Chongqing to develop and create a better future together.

Jiang Shanshan, deputy director of the Modern Service Industry Bureau of the Liangjiang New Area, introduced to the Liangjiang New Area was founded in 2010, which is China's third and the first inland state-level new area. In 2023, the GDP reaches 465.4 billion yuan, there are more than 190 Fortune 500 companies, and nearly 1,200 foreign-funded enterprises. Liangjiang New Area hopes to strengthen cooperation with Italy in the fields of industry, economy, trade, and Lifestyle.

Yang Huaqiang, Deputy General Manager of Chongqing Yuelai Xingcheng Asset Management introduced the direction of Yuelai's cooperation in the field of design， especially the development of Chongqing international expo center and Chongqing design park. The Italian Global Design Days held at Yuelai in March also laid the groundwork for the collaboration.

The last part of the meeting was the introduction of enterprises and Q&A session, which aimed to let both sides know more about the development situation of Italian enterprises in Chongqing and their feedback, and to help Italian enterprises understand the latest government measures and specific policies for their development in Chongqing. The representatives of Italian enterprises in Chongqing who participated in this part of the meeting were: Mr. Giovanni Violano, General Manager of SAIC Fiat Hongyan Powertrain，Mr. Riccardo Pignatti, General Manager of Chongqing Sofima Filter , Mr. Zhou Bo, General Manager of Chongqing ASK Automotive Electronics, and Ms. Zhang Jing, Manager of ATS Group in China.