The 22nd China International Industry Fair (CIIF), the first national industrial exhibition to be held offline this year under the premise of regular epidemic prevention and control, is taking place in Shanghai from 15 to 19 September. Nearly 50 Italian advanced manufacturing companies are collectively exhibiting at this year’s China International Industry Fair in the form of the Italian National Pavilion, and a series of activities will be held during the same period. As one of the key events, the Sino-Italian Industrial Innovation Forum was successfully held on the afternoon of 16th September in Zhangjiang, Pudong. This is a platform for effective and in-depth exchanges between Chinese and Italian companies, laying a solid foundation for future co-operation in industry-related sectors. This new co-operation platform will help to realise a mutually beneficial strategic output and achieve a win-win industrial development pattern for both countries.
As a series of activities of the ‘22nd China International Industry Fair’ and the first ‘Italian Mechanical Engineering Week’, this forum is co-organised by the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce and Shanghai Zhangjiang (Group) Company Limited, with the support of the Consulate General of Italy in Shanghai, the Shanghai SME Development Coordination Office and the Zhangjiang Science City Construction Management Office. Ltd. and organised by Shanghai Creative City Technology Development Co., Ltd. with the support of the Consulate General of Italy in Shanghai, the Shanghai Small and Medium Enterprises Development Co-ordination Office and the Zhangjiang Science City Construction Management Office.
Rong Zhiqin, Deputy Director of Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatisation, attended the forum and delivered a welcome speech. He looked forward to a comprehensive co-operation between Italian companies and Shanghai in the industrial field. Michele Cecchi, Consul General of Italy in Shanghai, also delivered an opening speech on behalf of the Italian Government, in which he expressed his high expectations for the future of Sino-Italian co-operation. Mr Paolo Bazzoni, President of the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce, also stressed in his speech that China and Italy have a very strong bond in the field of machinery industry, and more than 50% of Italy’s machinery and engineering exports focus on China. Italy will bring more innovative technologies to the Chinese market in the future. On the spot, Shanghai SME Development Service Centre, China-Italy Chamber of Commerce and Shanghai Creative City Technology Development Co., Ltd. signed a cooperation agreement, aiming to promote the economic and trade cooperation between China and Italy in the future.
During the forum, Antonio Farrari, Director of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in China, also shared his analysis of the Italian industrial sector, showing its strengths and advantages. He hoped that Italian industry could make its own unique contribution to the modernisation process in China. Dr Guangjun Zhao from the Comprehensive Planning Department of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Information Technology delivered a keynote speech on the theme of interpreting Shanghai’s advanced manufacturing planning, introducing the strengths, planning, geography and policy-related aspects of Shanghai’s advanced manufacturing sector. In addition, three Italian companies shared their case studies on Intelligent Manufacturing, New Energy Transportation Appliances and Innovative Technology Sectors Antony Margiasso, Director of Industrial Design, Pininfarina Motors; Fabrizio Giambra, Chairman of Mapos; Francois David Martino, CEO of Danieli Metallurgical Equipment Co. Feng Da, Deputy Director of Investment Promotion Centre and Deputy General Manager of Shanghai Zhangjiang Investment and Entrepreneurship Service Co., Ltd, delivered a speech on the topic of ‘New Ecosystem, New Zhangjiang Group, Helping Zhangjiang Science City to Continue Upgrading’. He analysed the value positioning and development direction of Zhangjiang Science City from different perspectives, and put forward suggestions to make Zhangjiang a world-class science city.
In order to help Shanghai and Italian enterprises to join hands in cooperation, the Municipal Economic and Information Commission invited more than 20 senior executives of enterprises in the fields of intelligent manufacturing, new energy vehicles, energy saving and environmental protection in the city, and Zhangjiang Group invited more than 10 artificial intelligence enterprises to participate in the forum together. And in the Sino-Italian enterprise docking meeting afterwards, Shanghai Electric Gas Turbine Company, Shanghai Shenda Company Limited and Shanghai Leading Company Limited were specially invited to exchange and interact with more than 30 Italian enterprise executives on the interested investment fields and cooperation intention.
