Italy-China Summit in Verona to Promote Strategic Partnership

Verona is at the center of diplomacy and business on the Italy-China axis.

A truly intense “two days” were spent in the city of Verona. Following the Bilateral Economic Commission held on April 11 at Palazzo Scaligiero, the Expo hosted a Business Dialogue Forum on April 12, again attended by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Minister of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China, Wang Wentao.

Tajani explained that the choice of Veneto and particularly Verona was due to the strategic importance of this region, the third in Italy in terms of exports, which is home to 420 thousand companies of very high quality.

China’s commerce minister in his speech urged Italian companies to pay attention to the potential of Chinese e-commerce platforms, which in recent years have created virtual Italian pavilions, demonstrating how attractive “Made in Italy” is to the Asian country, which already has more than one billion and 400 million people.

Thus, bilateral agreements remain the preferred route, despite the Commission’s recent announcement of anti-dumping duties on some specific imports.

Minister Antonio Tajani explained on this occasion why the Silk Road was abandoned.

“Simply put,” Tajani said, “it was a decision dictated by the fact that the initiative did not produce the expected economic results. This is why, during my last trip to Beijing, I explained that it would be replaced by a strategic partnership program.”

These meetings therefore will be strengthened: they will be held annually at the institutional level and every 6 months at “business-to-business” summits. ICE will remain the preferred diplomatic representation in Beijing, and President Matteo Zoppas was also present. In short, these commitments made in Verona confirm the need to strengthen the dialog between the two countries that have great commercial opportunities: China with high availability of investment and “Made in Italy” with great appeal in the Middle Kingdom.

And, of course, the development of Chinese tourism in Italy: a fundamental point, Tajani said, a key sector whose next test will be the Milan-Cortina Olympics, and the Shanghai-Venice flight must be included in this track.