(26 May 2016) The Italian Embassy in Beijing continues to promote in Chinese Provinces and regional cities. After last November’s visit to Xi’An (Shaanxi Province), in recent days the Ambassador Ettore Sequi went to Hangzhou, capital of the eastern coastal Zhejiang Province, at the helm of a business mission organised in collaboration with the Consulate General of Italy in Shanghai, the ICE Agency and the Italian Chamber of Commerce in China. The mission was inaugurated with a Business Forum, in the presence of the main authorities of Hanghzou and with the participation of over a hundred Italian and Chinese companies. The event helped promote Italian excellence in prioritised sectors of cooperation with China in the economic field: he began by discussing about health – the presentation of the Italian Year in China and “v-ITAL- ty ” health- and continued to discuss the food industry, with a focus on wine and related e-commerce opportunities for the promotion of Italian products. In addition, aviation, aerospace, energy, environment and sustainable urbanization were also touched upon. In his opening speech to the forum, Ambassador Sequi emphasized the care with which our country looks to this area of China, where many Italian companies have already settled successfully and where others may have the opportunity to contribute to important programmes in the development promoted by local authorities. Italy and China are projected along the “Road to 50” which, in 2020, will lead them to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations, coinciding with the conclusion of the thirteenth Five-Year Plan. “Italy – said the ambassador – is ready to accompany China in its transition to the so-called new normal”. As part of the mission, the Ambassador together with authorities and enterprises paid a visit to the headquarters of the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, where he talked about the promotion of Italian brands on online platforms and the protection of intellectual property. In the two days of the mission, the Italian culture has been the star of Hangzhou, with the screening of an Italian film realized by ICE in collaboration with Anica and Lumière circuit, and with the inauguration of a photographic exhibition by Roberto Goffi, dedicated to “Milan, From Expo to the Design Trienniale.” (Red)
