Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to Rome

It is up to the China-Italy Governmental Committee, whose importance, in conjunction with other bilateral cooperation and coordination mechanisms, is recognised and reconfirmed, to realise the objectives set out in the Action Plan.

La guerra planetaria dei dazi non ha favorito il riequilibrio del volume complessivo degli scambi Italia-Cina che nei primi otto mesi del 2025 ha raggiunto quota 49,8 miliardi di euro, con un incremento del 16% rispetto allo stesso periodo dell’anno precedente. Le esportazioni italiane verso la Cina si sono attestate a 9,1 miliardi di euro (-11,1%), mentre le importazioni dalla Cina hanno registrato 40,7 miliardi di euro (+24,5%). In base a valutazioni Ice l’export italiano in Cina nel 2024 si è concentrato su macchinari e apparecchiature per 3,568 miliardi di dollari Usa (-4,2%), abbigliamento pari a 2,076 miliardi (+15%), prodotti chimici da 1,195 miliardi (-5,4%), prodotti farmaceutici: 923 milioni (-79,1%). In crescita i prodotti metallurgici: 316 milioni di dollari Usa (+23%) e minerari 230 milioni (+27,7%).

In terms of imports from China 2024 by sector, chemical products stand out at USD 8.392 billion (+44%), computers and electronic/optical products at USD 7.510 billion (-7%), machinery and equipment at USD 5.832 billion (+4%), electrical equipment at USD 5.826 billion (-10.2%). The furniture sector is also growing, at USD 734 million (+20.5%) and rubber and plastic articles at USD 1.941 billion (+12.1%).

Incentives are needed to encourage Italian investments in China, in 2022 according to Reprint Databank there were 1,425 companies, with 109,490 employees, and a turnover of 33 billion euro in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) 2022 according to Bank of Italy data while Italian FDI in China was 15 billion Chinese FDI in Italy was 2.8 billion euro.

Already in the Plan, the parties committed to strengthening investment facilitation, including on the digital trade side, as well as on the trade-environment side.

It is no coincidence that when it comes to trade and investment promotion, Minister Wang Yi will be accompanied by a large number of Chinese provinces, Jangsu in the lead, the area with the highest concentration of Italian investments in China. The Suzhou Industrial Park, the Sino-Italian Ecological Park in Hai'an, the Green Development Innovation Park (Wuzhong) and the Agro-Food Industrial Park (Yangzhou) have been built there. Nanjing regularly organises the Innovation Fair, attracting investments from European and Italian companies.

The Suzhou delegation will also be in Turin for meetings in the furniture and automotive sectors. Changzhou will visit Turin and Milan in 2026 for industrial meetings and trade negotiations. Obviously, Chinese delegations welcome representatives of the Italian industrial and commercial sectors for visits to Jiangsu and for participation in the construction of industrial parks. Trade fairs are also part of the attraction tools for the internationalisation of the respective markets and the promotion of bilateral trade.

The parties had agreed a year ago on the importance of intensifying and rebalancing mutual trade, exploring the potential of bilateral trade, and continuing to stimulate two-way investment flows, in a transparent and level playing field. The Joint Economic Commission and the Italy-China Business Forum serve as a platform to promote exchanges between governments and businesses and foster bilateral trade and economic development. The China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), together with the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and the Italian Chamber of Commerce in China have been appointed to participate in specific working tables.

It will be seen in these hours how much and how support for the role of trade and investment promotion bodies and business associations of the two countries is strengthening dialogue and cooperation, with the necessary risk prevention for dispute resolution.