At the significant milestone marking the 21st anniversary of the China-Italy Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2025, Yangpu District—a key bridge for bilateral exchanges—welcomed a pivotal delegation visit.

On February 24, an Italian entrepreneur delegation, led by Mr. Stefano Prior, Founder and Chairman of the China-Italy Council, arrived in Yangpu for a day of in-depth discussions and inspections. The event was jointly organized by the Yangpu District Overseas Chinese Affairs Office and the Investment Promotion Office, with participation from multiple government departments including the Foreign Affairs Office, Commerce Commission, Science and Technology Economy Commission, Culture and Tourism Bureau, and the Investment Development Center.

During the exchange symposium, representatives from the Italian delegation and officials from Yangpu District held in-depth discussions on key topics including Italian enterprises' investment and business development in China, as well as enhancing bilateral cultural exchanges and tourism cooperation.Shen Xin, Director of Yangpu's Investment Development Center, provided a comprehensive overview of the district's regional economic landscape and industrial development trends. Chairman Prior elaborated on the China-Italy Council's flagship projects and future collaboration plans, expressing strong interest from Italian businesses in establishing operations in Shanghai and expanding their presence in the Chinese market.

Serving as both the organizational platform and focal point of the visit, the Italy Innovation Center—inaugurated in January 2024 along Yangpu's waterfront—demonstrated its multifaceted strategic value:Investment Facilitation Hub: Working closely with the district government, the Center provides Italian companies with optimized investment conditions in China while supporting Chinese enterprises in efficiently entering the Italian market. It offers end-to-end services including targeted resource matching, policy guidance, and logistics support；technology Incubator: Leveraging Yangpu's robust R&D ecosystem, the Center is equipped with cutting-edge facilities and services to accelerate technology commercialization, fostering knowledge-sharing and technical collaboration between Chinese and Italian businesses.

During the event, the delegation conducted on-site inspections of the Italy Innovation Center and Yangpu's leading enterprises—DEWU and UCloud. Company representatives shared cutting-edge practices and development experiences in technological innovation and cultural creative industries within Yangpu.Italian delegates demonstrated strong interest in leveraging the Innovation Center's bridging role to enhance practical cooperation between enterprises. Both parties unanimously agreed to jointly create new prospects for collaboration.

Yangpu District stated that it will continue to capitalize on its strengths in technological innovation and cultural creative industries, utilizing core platform resources like the Italy Innovation Center to actively expand overseas investment channels. As Sino-Italian exchanges deepen across multiple levels, resource complementarity and collaborative innovation will expand into broader fields, injecting new vitality into the sustained development of friendly relations between China and Italy.