6th Meeting of CICC Board of Directors Held on November 10th

The Board of Directors of the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce (CICC) met on November 10th, 2022, at the CICC office in Shanghai, still in hybrid mode due to the difficulties that remain in domestic mobility.

The Chairman, Paolo Bazzoni, kick-started the meeting giving his warm welcome to the invited special guest, the Consul General of Italy in Shanghai, Tiziana D'Angelo, giving her the floor for her opening remarks.

After extending her thanks to the Chairman, the Vice Presidents and Board Members, the Consul General gave a brief overview of what happened in 2022, starting from the hard lockdown in Shanghai, which generated a strong impact on the entire Italian community, to the continued strain on both national and international mobility. A challenging situation, where however the Italian Community showed its resilience, each contributing in their respective fields of expertise, in a testimony of great solidity and unity.

Even as the situation remains uncertain - the Consul General added - at the opening ceremony of the 5th China International Import Expo the Chinese leadership confirmed the importance of openness to achieve growth and prosperity. These good intentions need to be verified, but remain important.

"In this moment we are called to demonstrate maximum strength and flexibility, but also to be proactive in identifying new opportunities. As Consulate General, we will continue to promote all kinds of dialogue with local authorities in close synergy with the CICC, constantly remaining at the side of our companies”, stressed Consul General Tiziana D’Angelo.

During the meeting, the Consulate General in Shanghai and the CICC expressed their intention to organize an Appreciation Meeting with the Shanghai authorities, with the aim of carrying out concrete business advocacy, bringing all issues that most concern our companies to the attention of the Chinese counterparts for future development.

Chairman Bazzoni thanked Consul General D’Angelo for her continuous support on behalf of the hundreds of Italian enterprises present in the Yang-Tze river delta.

Chairman Bazzoni continued the meeting by highlighting the total Members of CICC, which reached 844 by early November (they were 787 in the same period of 2021, and 838 as of December 31st, 2021): this is testimony of extensive work carried out by our offices in all the main regions of China.

Mr Bazzoni then recalled the strategic lines of action pursued so far by the CICC:
1. Consolidate and grow the membership base;
2. Increase the cooperation with local counterparts in all territories;
3. Close synergy with the Embassy of Italy, the Consulates, ITA - Italian Trade Agency, to increase the authority of the Italian System and strengthen the competitiveness of the Italian business community;
4. Increase in the proactivity and effectiveness of the Working Groups;
5. Expand the collaboration with trade associations in Italy.

As for the guidelines for 2023, the CICC is committed to:
1. Continuing to offer the best to our Members, placing quality at the center of our concrete services and initiatives;
2. Launching new customized initiatives in the various territories of China, with the aim of promoting Italian business locally and sharing valuable information on the different regional realities of the country;
3. Continuing to promote our companies through the initiatives of our valuable Working Groups and participation in local fairs in synergy with all the players in the Italian System;
4. Continuing to strengthen relations with associations in Italy: at the end of November, the CICC will sign an MoU with Confindustria, thanks to which further value will be added to our companies.