Italy's foreign undersecretary Manlio Di Stefano held talks at the foreign ministry in Rome on Monday with Jin Xiangjun, Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of Tjanin, in northeast China, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
In 2019, a strong increase in Italian exports was recorded (+28.4%) in the area of Tjianin, the third wealthiest city in China and one of the drivers of research and innovation in the country, the statement said.
"The meeting confirmed the current excellent state of bilateral relations between Italy and China and the intention of both countries to further improve the situation, to the benefit of both their economies and entrepreneurs," said the statement.
Di Stefano referred to the meetings, in 2019 between Italy's foreign minister Luigi Di Maio and the Secretary of the local Communist Party, Li Hoingzhong, and with the Mayor of Tjianin, Zhang Guoqing, which leading to the signing of a series of accords, the statement noted.
Regarding the agreement for the establishment of a Sino-Italian Industrial Park for SMEs in the Tianjin/Binhai area, Di Stefano emphasised how contacts between Italian companies and the President of the Park had already been established and said he hoped these would lead to fruitful partnerships.
Di Stefano also represented Italy's interest in furthering commercial partnerships in the port sector, to develop Italian exports to China, also in the wake of the contacts initiated last November with the Port Authorities of Genoa and the special economic areas of Naples, Bari and Taranto.
Last but not least, building on the success of the Forum for small and medium enterprises organised last September by Italy's state lender Cassa Depositi e Prestiti and the Bank of China in Tianjin, within the framework of the Italy-China Business Forum, it was agreed to set up an annual meeting and exchange mechanism for small-to-medium-sized enterprises on trade, as well as an annual meeting and an exchange mechanism for SMEs on trade and investments, the statement said.
