CHONGQING
Chongqing is the youngest municipality with a population of more than 30 million. It is not just geographically at the heart of China but is also at the centre of the China’s Go West development strategy, the national pilot scheme designed to unleash the power of the interior. It has become Chinese companies relocating from the coast and foreign direct investment’s gateway to the economic expansion of western China. Chongqing is also the key city of One Belt One Road strategy that underlines China’s push to take a bigger role in global affairs, and its need to export China’s production capacity in areas of overproduction.
In order to promote matchmaking between Chongqing and Italian advanced technology and advantageous resources, breakout activities of the 6th China Italy Innovation & Cooperation Week will be held in Chongqing. The Chongqing Summit will comply with the overall arrangement and systematic objectives of the event to promote partnership for win win, practical cooperation, and Chongqing enterprises entering the European market.
Thematic Focus: Smart cities and communities, Sustainable Development, Energy, Automotive Industry, Health and life sciences, next generation ICT, Agrifood, Green chemistry, Design and creative industries, Young talents and Startups, Capital and finance.
Wednesday 18 November Venue - Bishan Renmin Square
Great reception for the China-Italy Science, Technology and Innovation Week 2015 in Chongqing. The day dedicated to the China-Italy Industrial Innovation Chongqing Summit at Bishan Renmin Square has been met, in fact, by a large and interested audience that made unforgettable the “first time” in the capital of ancient China of the event related to the bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
During the opening ceremony the Minister of Education, University and Research Stefania Giannini confirmed that 2015 has so far been an important year in relations with China: “We have already celebrated the China Day at Expo Milan with great success. This year also the commercial relations between Italy and China grew at a great pace. There are opportunities to be seized on different aspects”, explained the Minister. Primarily with regard to training, able to give quality to enterprises and social relationships and to improve living conditions. But the opportunities are also in the basic sciences and in the field of innovation where science produces solutions to the new challenges. “The history of China is often crossed with Italy”, continued Giannini recalling once again the importance of the “One Belt, One Road,” which here in Chongqing is an issue of great relevance. The Minister said that “China, like Italy, wants to be at the forefront of a push towards the future and this city offers many opportunities. So here we opened the new Consulate General of Italy. But here there is also the Galilei Institute from Sant’Anna School of Pisa as well as in Beijing are our polytechnics. It is a very positive sign: here Italian investment can find very favorable outlets from traditional industries to new economy that makes creativity as his strong point. Research centres, universities, businesses, and political authorities make up the ecosystem that will enable growth and development”, said Giannini.
After the ceremony some bilateral agreements for international cooperation were signed. The Regional Minister for Internationalization, Startup and Innovation Valeria Fascione has signed an agreement between the Campania Region and Chongqing Municipality regarding technology transfer. On the same grounds Città della Scienza has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Bishan Hi-Tech Developement Zone.
“It is very important to have signed these agreements linking even more Campania Region and China”, Fascione said. “The ecosystem of the region consists of seven universities, 40 research centers, 7 hi-tech districts and more than 500 companies and 281 innovative startups. In addition to culture and tourism, the sectors in which we are moving to the cooperation with China are those of the transfer of human capital, research and innovation in areas such as towing, food and fashion. We need specific tools for the knowledge transfer between Campania and China, even for the startup, to accompany each other in different territories”. The importance of the Silk Road as a trade route and the great traditions that unite Italy and China was also mentioned by Vincenzo Lipardi, CEO di Città della Scienza: “Our two countries look to the future thanks to their tradition and cooperation programs. With the summit in Chongqing was made a step further, here there are many Italians who want to start or strengthen their relations with this great country. This forum is important because it is an opportunity to work”. In recent decades, with the doubling of the Suez Canal and the new Silk Road, Europe came back in the spotlight and so did Italy. “This forum in the capital of the old China is a source of great pride”, said Lipardi, “because when two people find common ground on issues such as science, technology and tradition, they can build important bridges in a world that needs peace and harmony. Italy aims carefully at this, we are many, different, but we are all the same and next year in Italy will welcome you with the same joy that we are experiencing these days”.
At the end of the signatures ceremony started the work of the day, focused on industrial innovation, smart cities, youth entrepreneurship, technology transfer and knowledge in medical sciences. Space for the Italian and Chinese startups that participated in the roadshow and the players of the two countries that once again animated the afternoon with numerous B2B meetings to try to tie up even more reports between Italy and China.
Thursday 19 November
Venue - Hechuan District
“It is not easy to represent Italy abroad: often the culture and tradition for which our country is traditionally known risk of obscuring other capabilities such as those expressed by the technological excellence”. With these words the Italian General Consul in Chongqing, Sergio Maffettone, opened the second day of the summit in the ancient capital of China during the China-Italy Science, Technology and Innovation Week 2015. With this in mind, continued Maffettone, “we lived historic days, what has been sown in Chongqing will bear fruit. It is already giving them considering all the agreements signed so far and others that will be reached shortly. We want to provide a political framework that gives assurance to the meetings, it is important to gain the trust of each others”. The consul said that “Italy is the European country closer to China, I’m sure that we will overcome the language barriers in order to improve economic conditions and well-being. The consulate was opened here 20 months ago because the government found in this city a unique opportunity to invest and to establish new relationships. With GDP increasing by over 10% every year, Chongqing city is the symbol of China’s growth”.
Important numbers for the development, but Italy is present in Chongqing through institutes as the Galilei that help the Italian presence. The Consul has ended his speech with an eye to the future: “There is room here for all the excellence in science, technology and research that populate the Italian system to sow the strengthening of friendship between Italy and China”.
Before the beginning of the meetings Fabrizio Cobis, from the Directorate General of the Ministry of Education, spoke to the audience.
“We wanted to bring the best players in China, and these days are giving us great satisfaction”, he said. “The B2Bs offered excellent results and I noted the creation of a mutual interest. Italy and China want to make this event a starting point, many agreements have been reached and many more will be done”. Cobis explained that the Ministry intends to create a table that can continue to accompany this process and that would give confidence to the investments for the future. “I come out of this experience very satisfied. In Italy there is a system of research and innovation that can collaborate and integrate, the more you push on these issues the more you can find new opportunities”, he concluded.
Even today were put down on paper some understandings for cooperation between Italy and China. The IDIS Foundation, along with the District of Hechuan and ITTN signed an agreement for the activation of mechanisms for international technology transfer and innovation.
New understanding during the China-Italy Science, Technology and Innovation Week for the Campania Region which has reached agreement with the District of Hechuan, China region rich in history and artifacts, for cooperation in the tourism industry.
The issues on the table in parallel sessions of the second day of the event in Chongqing have included health, sustainable development, electronic information and big data. The interchange between the participants from both countries was once again very profitable in terms of knowledge sharing, as well as very fruitful have confirmed the numerous B2B meetings in which Chinese and Italian participants have established the first reports as the base future collaboration.