The 23rd EU-China summit was held on April 1, 2022 via video conference. President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang, President of the European Council Charles Michel, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and High Representative Josep Borrell attended the meeting. The main focus of the summit was on the war in Ukraine The leaders also discussed the state of bilateral relations and areas of shared interest such as climate change, health, trade and digital eco

On March 30, 2022, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who came to China to attend the Third Foreign Ministers' Meeting on the Afghan Issue Among the Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan, in Tunxi, Anhui Province, in eastern China. Also representatives from Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan attended the multinational meetings on Afghanistan. Lavrov briefed Wang Yi on the state of Russia-Ukrain

On April 2, 2022, Avv. Lifang Dong, President of the Silk Council Association and founder of the Dong & Partners international law firm, held a video conference lecture on "Chinese Intelligence Services and the New Silk Road" to 47 soldiers (carabinieri, police, army, customs office and financial police), freelancers and graduates in the Master in Intelligence of the University of Calabria, directed by Prof. Mario Caligiuri, President of the Italian Intelligence Society (SOCI

Photo: 10 marzo 2022 - Xinhua/Ju Peng The plenary meetings of the XIII National People's Congress and Chinese People's Consultative Conference (the "two sessions") were held in Beijing from 4 to 11 March 2022. On this occasion, the target of GDP growth for 2022 at about 5.5% was announced. This value is the lowest since 1991, although higher than the growth estimates forecast by the International Monetary Fund for China of 4.8%. A growth target was not set in 2020 due to pand

Dr. Paolo Pate, President of the Consortium for the Industrial Development Area of ​​Bari and Avv. Lifang Dong, President of the Silk Council Association, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote the internationalization of Italian companies and the attraction of foreign investments in the Industrial Development Area of ​​Bari. For the pursuit of these objectives, the Memorandum of Understanding provides for the realization of joint events for the promotion and en

EU SME Centre published the Report on Incentives, Subsidies and Funding for Tech SMEs in China addressed to increase the awareness and accessibility of European tech SMEs to Chinese public resources. The Report lists incentives and funding instruments available in China into five main groups: 1.Market entry incentives: made available by local administrations to attract innovative international companies to settle in their jurisdiction. 2.Status recognition: namely certain sta

EU SME Centre published an interesting report on the Market for Pet Food, Supplies, Medicines and Services in China. This is a fast growing market that in 2020 reached RMB 206.5 billion (€27.5 billion) only for dog and cats in urban areas. The report analyzes the existing competitive landscape and details the latest relevant policies, laws, and provisions, current and future developments, consumer trends, and opportunities and challenges in the pet product market for EU SMEs.

On December 10, 2021 in Tianjin China and Nicaragua signed the "Joint Communiqué on the restoration of diplomatic relations between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Nicaragua" during the meeting between the Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu and a Nicaraguan delegation led by son of President Daniel Ortega and Presidential Advisor for Investment, Trade and International Cooperation, Laureano Ortega Murillo. Nicaragua thus recognized Chinese territoria

On December 3, 2021, Chinese President Xi Jinping met the President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith by videoconference. The two leaders also attended the inauguration of the China-Laos railway long beyond 1,000 kilometers and connecting the Chinese city of Kunming, in Yunnan province, to the Laos capital Vientiane. The China - Laos railway is also connected to railway lines in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Its construction began in December 2016 and is part of the infrastruct

On December 7, 2021, Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo met in a video conference on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Belgium. The sectors of greatest cooperation for the two countries are those of biomedicine, microelectronics and modern agriculture. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said: "Both China and Belgium are staunch defenders of free trade. China is willing to strengthen dialogue, coo

In November 2021 the Institute for European Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Studies (CASS) and Eurispes presented the Research on carbon emission reduction paths and cooperation perspectives in the civil aviation sector between China and Italy, to the presence in videoconference of the ambassadors Luca Ferrari for Italy and Li Junhua for China. The initiative was supported by Chinese Eastern Airlines (CEA) and ITA Airways. Civil Aviation is responsible for 10% of the

The 8° Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) took place in Dakar, Senegal, on November 29-30, 2021 under the theme “Deepen China-Africa Partnership and Promote Sustainable Development to Build a China-Africa Community with a Shared Future in the New Era”. The forum adopted four key resolutions: 1.The Dakar Action Plan (2022-2024) available here 2.The China-Africa Cooperation Vision 2035 available here 3.The Sino-African Declaration on Climate Change; 4.The Declaration of

EU SME Centre published an interesting report on China’s Industrial Robots Sector. The reports aims to provide a comprehensive, up-to-date picture of the industrial robot market in China, including market overview, government policies and incentives, market access requirements, opportunities and challenges for European investors and case studies. The industrial robots industry is officially classified as a key strategic sector in the Made in China 2025 strategy; it is also an

On October 19, 2021, submarine telecommunication cables connecting China, Africa and Europe along the Digital Silk Road were laid in the port of Marseille as part of the PEACE (Pakistan East Africa Cable Express) Project. The approximately 15,000 km long cable starts from the Chinese region of Xinjiang and passes along the Sino-Pakistani corridor to the port of Gwadar, crosses Djibouti, goes up the Suez Canal and crosses the Mediterranean reaching Marseille in France. The por

The General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) on November 7, 2021 published data on Chinese trade updated to October 2021. Exports reached USD 2.701 billion (+ 31.9% compared to 2020), while imports reached USD 2.191 billion (+ 31.6% compared to 2020) for a total value of USD 4.892 billion (+ 31.8% compared to 2020). China's first trading partner is the RCEP bloc (ASEAN countries, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand) with a total value of trade flows of over

The Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was held in Beijing from November 8 to 11, 2021. On this occasion, the "Resolution on the Major Achievements and Historical Experience of the Party over the Past Century" was approved. This is the third most important resolution adopted in the history of the Chinese Communist Party, which consolidates Xi Jinping's role as "key president" alongside Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping. The fir

On September 16, 2021, the European Parliament approved a resolution on a New EU-China Strategy with 570 votes in favor, 61 against and 40 abstentions. The resolution recommends the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP / HR) and the Council to develop an EU-China strategy that promotes a rules-based multilateral order and takes into account the multifaceted nature of the EU’s relationship with China Th

During the 6° Belt and Road Forum held in Hong Kong last September 4 and 5, 2021 China’s Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao, and Liu Guangyuan, the commissioner of China’s Foreign Ministry’s Hong Kong office, have pledged to support Hong Kong in joining the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the world’s biggest free-trade agreement signed between China, 10 ASEAN countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, a

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy, Luigi Di Maio, and the Minister of Commerce of the People's Republic of China, Wang Wentao, co-chaired the 14th session of the Italy-China Joint Economic Commission via videoconference on September 28, 2021. Minister Di Maio expressed satisfaction with the positive trend of bilateral trade and Italian exports to China, which grew in the first half of this year respectively by 20.3% and 48.3% on an annual

On September 17, 2021, Ms. Maria Novella Rossi of Tg2 Rai interviewed the Chinese Ambassador to Italy Li Junhua. They talked about China's role in the fight against Covid-19, trade and cultural post-pandemic relations between China and Italy, Beijing Winter Olympics, relations between China and Afghanistan and geopolitical relations in the Pacific area. Foto di Salvatore Scialò With reference to the fight against Covid-19, Ambassador Li highlighted China's scientific, open an