The acquisition of Piraeus by a Chinese group, Cosco Shipping, “gives Italy a great opportunity. I believe that Italian ports are natural terminals for the creation of infrastructures and for the development of commercial exchanges”. This was stated by Marco Tronchetti Provera, president of the Italy-China Business Forum, speaking at the conference "Belt and Road: building a concrete roadmap for Italy and China joint growth" which was held at the Assolombarda in Milan.
“We will work to ensure that Italian and Chinese companies meet with the support of financial institutions” because the latter are essential “to facilitate the development of the relationship. Italy can play an important role” in the new Silk Road and be its engine on a European level. China today is no longer just the factory of the world, as we used to see it: it has become – said Tronchetti – a place of consumption, and there is the political will to consolidate it as a place of consumption”.
Introducing the proceedings, the president of Assolombarda, Carlo Bonomi, underlined that the "new Silk Road" plan launched by China will encourage cooperation between more than 60 countries which, together, make up 63% of the world population, 30% of gross domestic product and 35% of international trade".
Italy's overall trade with China represents 5% of the total volume of our international trade, for a value that exceeded 2016 billion euros in 38. "The overall trade between Lombardy and China - said Bonomi - is worth more than 15 billion euros and has grown significantly in recent years (+40% from 2008 to today)".
For their part, the Chinese with Chen Siqing, chairman of the Bank of China, said they were ready to expand investments. Wang Yanzhi, president and executive director of the Silk Road Fund cited two classic examples of transactions completed in the recent past: those in Pirelli and Autostrade. “With Pirelli – said Yanzhi – there is a strong synergy, its potential is enormous. The listing in Milan gives confidence and we are proud of this investment. The same for Autostrade”.
The conference, organized under the patronage of the Italian Ministry of Economic Development and the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, takes place on the occasion of the visit to Italy of Chen Siqing, who in July assumed the new position of Chairman of the Bank of China, and who together with Marco Tronchetti Provera chairs the Italy-China Business Forum.
