Yangpu District Business Delegation Visits Italy for Exchange Activities

To further deepen practical cooperation between China and Italy in the fields of economy, trade, culture, and education, a business delegation from Yangpu District, led by Qin Liping, Member of the Standing Committee of the District Party Committee and Head of the Organization Department, and accompanied by Xu Shunwu, President of the Italian Innovation Center, carried out a five-day business exchange mission in Italy. The visit focused on promoting Yangpu District’s safe, efficient, open, and inclusive international business environment, as well as its favorable ecosystem for enterprise development. Through a series of site visits, meetings, and exchanges, the delegation actively explored new opportunities for bilateral cooperation.

During their stay in Italy, the delegation first visited the Milan branch of the China Construction Bank, where discussions were held on topics such as Sino-Italian financial cooperation, cross-border corporate services, and investment and financing support. The delegation also made a special trip to a well-known Italian pharmaceutical technology company to gain first-hand insights into its R&D, production, and international market strategies, and explored potential bilateral collaboration in the fields of biomedicine and the health industry.

In the fields of education and design, the delegation visited the Academy of Fine Arts of Perugia (ABA Design University) and the University of Perugia. At the Academy of Fine Arts, the delegation toured the design exhibition hall, the art and design museum, and the academy’s auditorium. The two sides held in-depth discussions on the potential for exchanges and cooperation between Chinese design universities and Perugia ABA in the field of new industrial production, with particular emphasis on the synergistic development of design education in a multicultural context. At the University of Perugia, the delegation held talks with several professors and international affairs officers, exchanging views on academic exchanges between Chinese universities and research institutions and the University of Perugia, collaboration in engineering disciplines, visiting scholar programs, and the feasibility of signing a framework agreement for inter-university cooperation.

In the Umbria region, the delegation met with the Mayor of Sant'Anatolia di Narco to discuss friendly exchanges and industrial development cooperation at the local level. The delegation also conducted a site visit to SAB Architecture and Engineering Firm, which has over 35 years of industry experience and has completed more than 1,000 projects. They were briefed on the firm’s practices in construction, infrastructure, engineering systems, interior design, innovative technologies, artificial intelligence, and smart homes. SAB shared its positive experience participating in the China International Import Expo, expressed strong recognition of the cooperation prospects between Yangpu District and Umbria, and conveyed an optimistic attitude toward the establishment and development of future Sino-Italian partnerships.

At Confindustria Umbria, the delegation met with Yin Qi, Consul General of China in Florence, and together held a discussion with representatives of the federation. The two sides had an in-depth exchange on the potential for Sino-Italian industrial cooperation, development opportunities in Yangpu District, and prospects for shared growth.

In addition, the delegation paid a special visit to the sister district of Municipio Roma I, where they met with the President of the Municipio and the International Affairs Advisor to the Mayor of Rome. The two sides exchanged views on deepening friendly relations between the districts and promoting mutual learning in culture and urban governance.

The mission was rich in content and featured practical exchanges, effectively promoting deeper alignment and interaction between Yangpu District and the relevant Italian regions in areas such as economic and trade investment, higher education, engineering design, intelligent manufacturing, and urban renewal. These exchanges have laid a solid foundation for further deepening Sino-Italian cooperation at the local level.