ItalianoBEIJING
Beijing is the capital of the People’s Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world with a population of more than 19 million people. The metropolis, located in northern China, is governed as a direct-controlled municipality under the national government. Beijing Municipality is surrounded by Hebei Province with the exception of neighboring Tianjin Municipality to the southeast; together the three divisions forming the Jingjinji metropolitan region and the national capital region of China.
Beijing is the second largest Chinese city by urban population and is the nation’s political, cultural, and educational center: it is home to the headquarters of most of China’s largest state-owned companies and to several enterprises and institutions. Beijing’s economy ranks among the most developed and prosperous in China.
The Beijing CBD (Beijing Central Business District), located in the Guomao area, is the economic centre of the city: there are the offices of many companies, shopping centres and residential apartments. the Beijing Financial Street, in Fuxingmen and Fuchengmen area, is a traditional financial centre. The Wangfujing and Xidan areas are also important commercial districts.
In Beijing is located the “Silicon Valley of China”. This nickname was given to the Zhongguancun area due to the presence of IT, pharmaceutical and electronic companies. The growth of high-technology enterprises is very high, which is why many investments were made also in the Yizhuang area, southeast of the city.
Monday 16 November
Venue – Beijing Riverside Hotel in Fengtai Science Park of Zhongguancun
Inaugurated in the prestigious venue of the Zhongguancun Science Park in Beijing (the Silicon Valley of China), the ninth edition of the Sino-Italian Exchange Event. The event, started 10 years ago thanks to the long-term vision of the Campania Region, is part of the China-Italy Science, Technology and Innovation Week 2015. “When it started we looked to China only to relocate low-cost production” said the CEO of Città della Scienza Vincenzo Lipardi. “But now – he continued – thanks to the collaboration of Città della Scienza, we talk about a different cooperative level that can be mutually profitable. After ten years, the gamble paid off.”
About 200 Italian participants from 170 organizations and many Chinese counterparts have driven a hard day’s work waiting for the opening ceremony tomorrow with the Minister of Education, University and Research Stefania Giannini. In the evening, the Minister gave her welcome message to the Italian delegation during a reception at the Embassy: “All the enterprises, universities, research centers that are here represent the success of this process started six years ago, but to tell the truth even before. They are proof that when it comes to Italy we can’t talk only about culture, but also we have at least to mention our boost at innovation. We hope to continue walking along the same road with this edition and to be able to do something more”, Giannini said.
“We are very proud to have given way to this important initiative on matchmaking and innovative system that connects companies, universities, research centers, innovative clusters and public bodies,” said Valeria Fascione, Regional Minster of the Campania Region for Internationalization, Startup and Innovation. “We hope with this event to turn China’s spotlight on the opportunities to be seized in a partnership with Italy on issues of science and technology, but also on issues of production and culture. Our excellence deserve to attract new investments”, concluded Fascione.
The thematic groups have touched ten areas, including academic exchange and science popularization. In particular, University Federico II, Second University of Naples, Suor Orsola Benincasa, University of Salerno and University of Sannio made a valuable contribution: theirdelegates have visited this morning the Beijing Technology and Business University. The science popularization was a hot topic, thanks to the strong desire to strengthen ties between Italy and China.The participants in the discussion table played a very fruitful meeting that has developed the way to go in order to follow the strategy “one road, one belt”, which increasingly binds China to Italy.
Tuesday 17 November
Venue – Beijing International Convention Center
Opening ceremony this morning for China-Italy Innovation Cooperation Week in the presence of the Minister of Education, University and Research Stefania Giannini and Italian and Chinese important personalities, as the Minister of Science and Technology Wan Gang, the Nobel Prize for Physics Carlo Rubbia and the Deputy Mayor of Beijing Sui Zhenjang. Starting the ceremony, the Minister Giannini declared that the key word for the future is cooperation: “A great job has been done, and we can still improve it, thanks to the joint collaboration between Italy and China by training and development. This is a new model in the international context of the Silk Road that connected China and Italy for many years, in what is known as ‘one belt, one road’ thanks to the work of the President Xi Jinping. Behind this decision there is a very strong political and cultural choice that allows us to have a common direction”, said the Minister.
This relationship from the deep roots is very important in connections with China, a country that has done a lot of road in the past 50 years to become the second global player in economics and technology. “The road traveled by Italy is similar”, continued Giannini. “Our challenges are common, they are the big challenges of welfare, education, food access and sustainability. The solution is a joint project based on collaboration, on infrastructure of knowledge that make up the architecture of our society”.
Italy, explained again to the minister, “is a country to bet on, we have the opportunity to invest in the education of young people, already amply demonstrated by the projects put in place and which will open the way for an explosion of the movements of young Chinese to Italy and vice versa. Mobility in research, joint design and context opportunities are extremely important moments, as well as the ability to access common funds Horizon 2020”.
During the ceremony the Nobel Prize in Physics Carlo Rubbia traced the history of Chinese civilization and its scientific achievements that, in many cases, have anticipated several years the European ones. Rubbia has then reviewed the Italian history as one of the center of Western civilization in many scientific fields up to the example of Galileo Galilei. “But it is only in the twentieth century, with Fermi, that Italy becomes a major participant in the technological growth worldwide, as well as China. The two countries are now among the drivers of scientifical and technological growth worldwide”, said Rubbia.
The ceremony opened the second day of the China-Italy Science, Technology and Innovation Week 2015 and was followed by the award ceremony for those who over the years has distinguished themself in the projects of cooperation between the two countries, such as the Regional Minister for Internationalization, Innovation and Startup of the Campania Region Valeria Fascione and the CEO of Città della Scienza Vincenzo Lipardi with great efforts during the past decade to strengthen bilateral relations between China and Italy. They were also signed memorandum of understanding between partners in both countries. Among others, CNR, ASI and Lazio Innova have signed agreements with several Chinese companies on issues of scientific cooperation, technology transfer and aerospace. Even today the day has been very profitable for all participants in the parallel sessions on schedule, especially the session on innovation and youth entrepreneurship that has seen Italian startups engaged in a roadshow that will allow them to get visibility in during the week. In the afternoon, room for many b2b scheduled to give a real opportunity to develop new potential partnerships between Italian and Chinese players.
