Qingdao-Italy Economy, Trade, Culture and Tourism Cooperation and Exchange Conference Held in Milan

QINGDAO, China, May 6, 2024 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/–

The Qingdao-Italy Economy, Trade, Culture and Tourism Cooperation and Exchange Conference was held in Milan, Italy on April 29, hosted by the Qingdao Municipal People’s Government, and co-organized by the Qingdao Municipal Bureau of Commerce and the Italy China Council Foundation (ICCF). The meeting was chaired by Li Hucheng, secretary-general of the Qingdao Municipal People’s Government, and attended by Zhao Haozhi, mayor of Qingdao City, who delivered a keynote speech, Liu Kan, consul general of the Consulate-General of the People’s Republic of China in Milan, who also gave a speech, as well as 150 guests from Italian government agencies and business circles, according to the Information Office of Qingdao Municipal People’s Government.

Zhao Haozhi said at the meeting that Italy has close ties with Qingdao, being Qingdao’s fourth largest trading partner in Europe and the third largest source of foreign investment. Two-way investment cooperation is also very robust, with 185 Italian companies investing in Qingdao. Italian enterprises such as Intesa Sanpaolo, Bitron, Carraro, and Epta are expanding their presence in Qingdao and tapping into the Chinese market, which shows a promising development trend. Italy’s strong industrial foundation means there is enormous cooperation potential with Qingdao in areas like machinery, automotive manufacturing, biopharmaceuticals, and cultural tourism. Qingdao will continue to deepen friendly exchanges with Italy to share new opportunities for cooperation, and create a new chapter of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation together.

Riccardo Monti, vice chairman of ICCF, and Rosario Strano, representative of Intesa Sanpaolo and chairman of Yi Tsai also delivered speeches on behalf of local institutions and enterprises at the meeting. Italian companies such as Bitron, Epta, and Haier Europe presented their investment projects in Qingdao and Italy and shared their investment experiences. Wang Zhijun, director general of the Qingdao Municipal Bureau of Commerce, introduced Qingdao’s investment environment and cooperation and development opportunities for Italian companies in Qingdao, while Pan Feng, director general of the Qingdao Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, promoted the cultural and tourism highlights of Qingdao.

The event received wide attention in Italy, with representatives from various governments and institutions such as the Lombardy Region, Milan City, Florence City, Asti Province, Italian Trade Agency, Italy-China Institute, China-Italy Chamber of Commerce, Camera Di Commercio Cinese in Italia, well-known Italian companies like Maschio, ADR, Brazzale, Ferroli, Askoll, DAB, Cima and Qingdao companies like Haier Group, Hisense Group, Tsingtao Brewery Group also participating in the meeting.

During the networking session, many attendees expressed their admiration for Qingdao’s favorable investment environment and preferential investment policies, stating that they will follow Qingdao’s development closely, and visit Qingdao to explore investment and cooperation possibilities.