Italy helping China on the road to green economy. The country that reached the top of renewable energy power in 2020 has chosen Italian structures for the development and exchange of technologies in the environmental sector. In Guangzhou, an agreement was signed with the SMACT consortium of the Universities of Padua, Trento, Bolzano, Verona, Udine, Trieste, Venice and the EnviroVest company to improve sustainable technologies and processes. EnviroVest already has an office in Guangdong and will take care of the operational part of the agreement. In the coming months, Italians and Chinese will work on joint projects: from new technologies to artificial intelligence and reciprocal know-how. Everything takes place in one of the most developed areas of Xi Jnping's China. Indeed, in 2020, Guangdong's GDP was 1.71 trillion dollars, in 13th place in the world ranking. It has surpassed Australia in production and trade. The local authorities proudly reminded the Italian delegation of this when they expect to increase skills and business.
It became clear that the further performances of the Guangdong Region (and beyond) will be oriented towards environmental protection and sustainable economic growth. A piece of a national strategy that sees China moving forward on reducing climate impacts. It may have been a coincidence, but at the same time as the signing of the agreement, the Chinese vice premier Han Zheng connected with the vice president of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans to discuss climate and the environment. He reiterated the government's commitment to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. Investments in renewables are growing, despite the operation of many coal-fired power plants. They will gradually be abandoned under the watchful eye of international authorities.
However, China's approach to a circular economy system makes it an outstanding competitor for global sustainability. On the other hand, local agreements strengthen the power of the authorities and research centers with respect to the guidelines of the central government. In this context, Italian ingenuity is highly appreciated, especially for research.
On the basis of the agreement, the Italian university consortium together with EnviroVest provides expertise in the recovery of lagoon areas, in electromagnetic fields for the reclamation of contaminated land, in the study of new materials. A broad protocol that also extends to the urban planning and zero-impact civil construction sectors. The SMACT, moreover, is known as a Competence center in support of small and medium-sized enterprises, and also boasts a "Digital Academy" within the Universities of Southern China. Widespread synergies which in recent years have increased the prestige of Made in Italy structures. Valuable pieces that should be valued more even at home.
