Italy Meets Sichuan: Promising Opportunities for Italian Investors

The fourth session of “Italy Meets China”, dedicated to the “Province of Abundance” – the name commonly used to indicate Sichuan – was held online on December 6th 2022, with more than 40 attendees from both Italy and China, including institutions and representatives of Italian companies. “Italy Meets China “ is a series of meetings organized by the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce to promote Italian business through practical dialogues with local partners in various key territories of China. 

The event was organized with the strong support of the Consulate General of Italy in Chongqing, the Sichuan Provincial Department of Commerce, the Sino-Italian Cultural Innovation Park of Tianfu New Area (DSICI), Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti di Milano (NABA) and the Chengdu Institute of Sichuan International Studies University (CISISU). Furthermore, Class Editori is media partner of the initiative.

The seminar, hosted by the CICC Vice President for Southwest China, Mr Gianluca Luisi, aimed at promoting bilateral trade and investment opportunities between Italy and China and seek out potential cooperation projects by allowing Italian enterprises to have an in-depth understanding of the current economic and trade situation in Sichuan.

After expressing his gratitude to all partners supporting the initiative, Mr Paolo Bazzoni, Chairman of the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce, delivered his opening remarks.

"The CICC has been increasingly committed in recent years to overseeing the various territories that make up China's diverse business reality. “Italy Meets Sichuan", organized together with the authorities of Sichuan and Tianfu New Area, represented an important platform for sharing existing opportunities in terms of investment and development for companies interested in the business environment of Southwest China. The DSICI is undoubtedly the ideal place to identify and concretely develop new opportunities for collaboration between Italy and China in Tianfu and the surrounding region. I am confident that this dialogue will stimulate new initiatives and business opportunities, also thanks to a return to normality of international and domestic mobility, which we hope will come soon." – Paolo Bazzoni, Chairman of the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce

"Sichuan is one of the most important recipients of the activity carried out by the Consulate General of Italy in Chongqing. Chengdu and Italy have maintained a good momentum of cooperation in the economic and trade fields. The two sides have strong complementarities in food, cultural innovation, big data, biopharmaceuticals and other fields, with large room for cooperation. This webinar represented an excellent platform for Italian companies willing to invest in Southwest China, in particular in Sichuan." – Guido Bilancini, Consul General of Italy in Chongqing

"Investment in China, the first choice in the west, and investment in the west, the first choice in Sichuan” has become a broad consensus among domestic and foreign investors, and the foreign direct investment (FDI) ranks in the forefront in the central and western regions. Sichuan will welcome Italian investors with open arms. We will do our best to create a high quality business environment for all of you, so that you can feel that investing in Sichuan is beneficial, as well as the development will be promising and the results will be satisfactory." – Liang Yong, Deputy Director of Sichuan Provincial Department of Commerce.

“Sichuan occupies an absolutely major strategic position”, the CICC Treasurer, Mr Lorenzo Riccardi, said during his presentation “CICC in Southwest China and the China-Italy Business Map: An Overview”. The "China-Italy Business Map" is the new tool launched by the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce which provides a clear snapshot of Italian investments, local and foreign partners of Sistema Italia in the various territories of China, thanks to which companies are able to identify new business opportunities and counterparts.

The China-Italy Business Map is now available through open access, explore it now. 

Mr Lu Qiansheng, Deputy Director of Sino-Italian Cultural Innovation Industrial Park (DSICI), then gave an introduction to the park, describing it as a landmark of Italian innovation:

"The world faces east, China faces west and Chengdu faces south. The Sino Italian Cultural Innovation Industrial Park, as a national-level industrial park, has always been a landmark of Sino-Italian cultural innovation with leading policy offer and large market space. With superior geographical location and cultural environment, DSICI always adheres to the path of urban development in the fields of creativity and design, especially focusing on the development of three industries: creative design, net casting industry and cultural tourism. Since the construction of the park was officially launched, 75 major projects have been signed and presented, involving a total investment of 156 billion yuan. It is believed that with the sincere cooperation and joint efforts of China and Italy, the Sino-Italian Cultural Innovation Industrial Park can increasingly act as a bridge for mutual cultural learning and friendship between China and Italy."

For more information about the DSICI, you can contact them via the following QR code:

Afterwards, three representatives of CICC member companies shared their stories and experiences about business operation in Sichuan.

Speakers also answered to hotly discussed topics and gave their suggestions to potential Italian investors willing to invest in Sichuan.

"Important to have physical presence, solid local partner and local professionals." – Gianluca Luisi, CEO of ChinEAT  

"To open a company and run a business in China you need to have determination and a medium-long term project." – Alberto Borini, CEO of Bplan Tech Co., Ltd.

"It is important to create a network with all Italian companies and with the local Italian community, to support each other and share experiences." – Lucia Clara Orlandini, Medical Physicist of Sichuan Cancer Hospital and Institute

Mr Donato Medici, Managing Director of NABA (Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti), introduced the guests to the Academy:

"Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti, with campuses in Milan and Rome, is the largest private art academy in Italy. Since 1981 NABA is legally recognized by the Higher Education in Art and Music system (AFAM, Alta Formazione Artistica e Musicale), regulated by the Ministry of University and Research (MUR) Rankings 2022. NABA features numerous specialised laboratories where students can use professional tools for complex and interdisciplinary projects in the Design, Fashion Design, Media Design and New Technologies, Visual Arts Areas. We hope there will be more opportunities to partner with Chinese universities and also companies in the sector to build high education segments over the short- and long-term, anywhere in the world."

Afterwards, Ms Diana Tan, the head of Italian language major at the only professional foreign language institute in Sichuan province, presented the development of the Italian language department and the high-quality talent pool resources of the university.

In the Q&A session, the organizers provided timely answers to the questions raised by the participants on corporate development and business opportunities.