Sino-Italian relations highlighted at intl investment event

The importance of China's relationship with Italy was underscored by Vice-Premier Wang Yang, at the 19th China International Fair for Investment and Trade, which opened on Thursday and will run until Sept 11.

"In Chinese, if we put together the abbreviated forms of 'China' and 'Italy', we get the word 'zhongyi', which means 'satisfied'; and if we reverse this we get 'yizhong', which means 'an ideal partner'," he said.

He continued: "Taken as a whole, it means we are satisfied with Italian products and Italy is an ideal partner with which we want to establish a deeper relationship."

Italy is the country of honor at the fair, and the opening ceremony of its exhibition pavilion began at 9:30 am on Thursday, when leaders from both China and Italy came to cut the ribbon.

"The cooperation between China and Italy has a very long history," said Ivan Scalfarotto, vice-minister of economic development in Italy, at the opening ceremony.

"Through this platform, we hope to complement each other and work together to face the current global economic challenges," he continued.

"We're very proud to be the country of honor this time in Xiamen, and I see a bright future for the relationship between our countries," he added.

Italy's exhibition pavilion covers about 800 square meters, where a range of products are on display, including model helicopters, motorcycles, red wine, as well as those from enterprises related to the tourism, healthcare and aerospace sectors.

"Participating in the 19th CIFIT represents a great opportunity for us. The fair is an important event, that's why I'm here. I believe it will be a big success," said Riccardo Coli, secretary-general of the Italian Aerospace Network. "I'm meeting many investors and exhibitors from all over the country. I'm happy about that," he added.

According to Riccardo, IAN has been cooperating with China for the last decade. It currently has three branches, located in Beijing, Shanghai and Xi'an.

Macao and East China's Jiangxi province are the region and province of honor respectively at this year's event.

Irene Lau, executive commissioner of the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, said it was the first time Macao had been invited as the honor of region. She added that a group of 300 people from the region traveled to attend the fair.

The more than 6,000 square meters of exhibition area in the A1 pavilion provides ample space for the Active Macao Promotion Week, which will feature trade, performances and seminars during the four-day event.

Jackson Chang, president of Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, said they hoped to give a comprehensive representation of Macao and raise the profile of the region.

"I have attended CIFIT 18 times and in my experience, the organization and service at the event have continuously improved, and I think we can learn a lot from this. We expect to raise the profile of Macao and help young entrepreneurs from the region find business opportunities in Xiamen," said Chang.

Province of honor Jiangxi's pavilion stands out for its strength in the production of porcelain.

According to Zhu Yuanfa, vice-director of the Jiangxi Commerce Bureau, the local government has focused heavily on the fair and its presentation will feature the province's natural landscape as well as its traditionally competitive products, including porcelain and tea, two of the typical products along the Belt and Road.

At the entrance of Jiangxi's exhibition pavilion, colorful porcelain cups, bowls and plates are attracting the attention of many attendees.

A small group of people gathered to watch a young woman mold a pottery piece, while another paint porcelain jar.

"We hope to attract more investment and promote trade cooperation through this event," said Huang Bin, an official from the Jiangxi Investment Promotion Agency.

Chen Meiling contributed to this story.

zhuanti@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 09/09/2016 page10)