On February 21, 2023, the seminar on "Italy meets Hunan" was successfully held in Hunan Xiangjiang New Area. More than 70 governmental and business representatives of Hunan and Italy gathered together and held talks. The seminar was hosted by the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce (CICC), the Office of Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee, and the Administration Committee of Hunan Xiangjiang New Area. It was organized by the Commerce and Market Supervision Bureau of Administration Committee of Hunan Xiangjiang New Area, and co-organized by the Consulate General of Italy in Guangzhou, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) Changsha Branch, and the “Hunan Enterprises Going Global” Comprehensive Service Platform Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan Column (Changsha) Operation Center.

Paolo Bazzoni, president of CICC, and Lorenzo Riccardi, CFO of CICC, attended the seminar online. Wu Shuguang, deputy secretary of the Leading Party Group and vice chairman of CCPIT Hunan Sub-council, participated in the event. Guo Xiangli, vice president of the Hunan People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, and Guo Lifu, member of the Party Working Committee and deputy director of the Administration Committee of Hunan Xiangjiang New Area (Changsha High-tech Zone), attended communication activities related to the Italian delegation.

Vincezo Raffa, General Manager of CICC in South China

Like-minded people are not separated by distance. Wu Shuguang, deputy secretary of the Leading Party Group and vice chairman of CCPIT Hunan Sub-council, delivered a welcoming speech. He said that Italy was the first G7 member country joining the “Belt and Road Initiative”, which plays a demonstration part in China-Europe Cooperation. In 2013, Hunan and Italy’s Marche established friendship province-region ties. An Italian Town has been built in Changsha, and the first direct cargo flight route to Milano opened, which are fruitful outcomes of Hunan-Italy cooperation.

Wu Shuguang, deputy secretary of the Leading Party Group and vice chairman of CCPIT Hunan Sub-council

Giorgio Daviddi, consul of the Consulate General of Italy in Guangzhou, said that Italy and China have maintained exchanges and cooperation for many years. Besides Marche, Hunan also held friendly exchanges with Italian cities of Arezzo and Pilignano a Mare. He looked forward to more inspirations from this meeting and sincerely invited Chinese friends to visit and invest in Italy.

Giorgio Daviddi, consul of the Consulate General of Italy in Guangzhou

Paolo Bazzoni, president of CICC, and Lorenzo Riccardi, CFO of CICC, addressed the seminar online. The CICC is the only association of Italian entrepreneurs and professionals recognized by both Italian and Chinese governments, and has a membership of 850. Lorenzo Riccardi gave an online presentation on "Italian Business in South China." He reviewed the import and export trade data and cooperation between Italy and Chinese provinces in previous years, and analyzed the 2023 GDP growth targets of 31 key cooperation provinces, including Hunan.

 
Paolo Bazzoni, president of CICC

Li Weimin, director of the Science and Technology Exchange Center of the Xiangjiang New Area Administration Committee, introduced the Xiangjiang New Area and the international science and technology business platform. She pointed out that Xiangjiang New Area has been evaluated as a model of cooperation between China and Europe and will continue to deepen international cooperation in the future. The Xiangjiang New Area will try to attract and retain more international talents and foreign-funded enterprises with internationalized and attentive services.

Li Weimin, director of the Science and Technology Exchange Center of the Hunan Xiangjiang New Area Administration Committee 

Yu Xiayuan, chairwoman of the CCPIT Changsha Branch, said that Changsha has an open economy, a global network of resources, and a robust business environment. Italy highly tallies with Changsha in many fields, such as culture and creativity, catering, technical skills, and advanced manufacturing. The two sides have a vast space for cooperation. She looked forward to building a stable exchange platform and sharing resources, to achieve more mutual benefits and win-win results.

Yu Xiayuan, chairwoman of the CCPIT Changsha Branch

"In 2022, the total trade volume between Hunan Province and Italy was 5.96 billion yuan, with a year-on-year growth of 26.7%. The economic and trade exchanges between Hunan and Italy is limited in quantity, but has broad space and bright prospects in cooperation", said Wang Haimei, director of the Investment Management Division of the Hunan Department of Commerce.
The participating enterprises such as Neonato Felice, +39 Schiller’s Italian Restaurant, Xiangjiang New Area Intelligent Connection Network Industrial Chain Office, and Hunan Gold Cup Cables Co., Ltd. discussed the future cooperation between Hunan and Italy.

Wang Haimei, director of the Investment Management Division of the Hunan Department of Commerce 

This was the first time the Xiangjiang New Area received a foreign consulate in 2023. The seminar was not only a good start of foreign exchanges but also a witness of friendship between Hunan and Italy.

Before the seminar, a delegation of the Consulate General of Italy in Guangzhou went to Xiangjiang New Area. The two parties jointly organized a business fellowship dinner. At the dinner, the delegation and the Italian representatives and enterprises enjoyed traditional Chinese culture and tasted traditional Italian food, which showed the friendship between China and Italy. On that day, the delegation visited Zoomlion, a leading advanced equipment manufacturer in the Changsha High-tech Zone. They visited Zoomlion’s exhibition hall and mechanical equipment center, and discussed opportunities for cooperation and development. Then they went to Huayi Brothers (Changsha) Film Town (HB Town), experienced Italian romance in Hunan and the cultural exchanges and integration between the two sides.

Vinicio Eminenti (1st, L), board member of CICC, and Guo Xiangli (1st, R), vice president of the Hunan People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries

Guo Lifu, member of the Party Working Committee and deputy director of the Administration Committee of Hunan Xiangjiang New Area (Changsha High-tech Zone)

Edited by Pang Yuehui

Chinese and English source: CSHT-ISTBP