On december 10, 2021 a meeting of the Italian System in China was held in Beijing. The meeting was chaired by the Ambassador of Italy in the People’s Republic of China, Luca Ferrari. It was attended by the Consuls General and Deputy Consuls of Shanghai, Canton, Chongqing and Hong Kong, the Directors of ICE Offices and those of the Italian Cultural Institutes of the Chinese network, as well as representatives of the various Italian Administrations present in Beijing (Defence,

Fonte foto: MAUC The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, met on January 13, 2022 in Brest (France) the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luigi di Maio, to discuss issues such as the southern neighborhood of the EU, stability in the Mediterranean and the possible creation of an investment forum for the joint participation of companies from both countries in EU-funded projects. As reported by Albares via his Twitter account, the two ministers held a mee

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

The Italy-China Year of Culture and Tourism has officially begun, initially planned for 2020 and subsequently reorganized for 2022 due to the pandemic. The initiative remains a priority of both the Italian and Chinese governments, as confirmed in the telephone conversation between Prime Minister Draghi and President Xi Jinping on September 8, 2021 and in the videoconference meeting between the Italian Minister of Culture, Dario Franceschini. and the Chinese Minister of Cultur

On December 8, 2021, the European Commission proposed a new tool to counter the use of economic coercion by third countries both towards individual member states and the European Union itself with the aim of obtaining certain political results. Forms of economic coercion are considered to be the explicit use of trade defense instruments against the EU, the execution of selective controls at the borders or on the food safety of products from a specific EU country, the boycott

On November 18, 2021 the "Taiwan Representative Office in Lithuania" was opened in Vilnius. At the same time, Lithuania decided to set up a trade representative office in Taipei in 2022 and recalled its Ambassador from Beijing. China reacted by recalling its Ambassador and downgrading diplomatic relations with Lithuania to the level of chargé d'affaires. This diplomatic crisis soon resulted in economic tension as well, when on December 2, 2021 the Lithuanian National Radio an

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

From November 5 to 10, 2021, the fourth edition of the China International Import Expo (CIIE) was held at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai. More than 100 Italian companies participated with their own stands, covering an area of ​​about 12,000 square meters with three commercial pavilions dedicated to the sectors of environmental technologies, medical technologies and jewelery and one dedicated to the promotion of Italian cultural heritage entitled " I

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 December 1, 202 the European Commission and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy launch the Global Gateway, the new European Strategy to boost smart, clean and secure links in digital, energy and transport and strengthen health, education and research systems across the world. "Global Gateway" provides for the mobilization of € 300 billion between 2021 and 2027 in grants and financing from the EU budget and financial and development institutions,

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

Source: governo.it On November 26, 2021, Italy and France signed the "Treaty for enhanced bilateral cooperation" in Rome, known as the Quirinale Treaty. The Agreement covers several areas including foreign affairs, European affairs, migration policies, space, trade, culture, technology, justice, home affairs, security and defense. With regard to foreign affairs, Italy and France have undertaken to develop “their coordination and to favor the synergy between their respective a

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