Davide Cucino: Sino-Italian trade is resonant again in the new era of Silk Road

Davide Cucino: Chairman of the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce

China and Italy, two ancient civilizations, were the starting points of the ancient Silk Road. The exchanges between the two countries have a long history and were recorded in the Travels of Marco Polo. Nowadays, as the intersection of the "Silk Road Economic Belt" and the "21st- Century Maritime Silk Road", Italy is achieving an historic reunion with China through the “Belt and Road initiative”. This will not only promote the two countries'economic and trade growth, but also drive and benefit the economic construction of all the countries along the Sino-European Economic Belt.

The China-Italy Chamber of Commerce, established in Beijing in 1991, has been a window and bridge for trade between China and Italy for over a quarter of a century, and it definitely plays an important role in promoting Italian companies' investment in China. As of 2017, the number of members of the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce had reached 545, covering Italy's main industries (Italian state-holding and multinational corporations), small and medium-sized manufacturing and trading and consulting companies.

Mr. Davide Cucino, current Chairman of the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce, has lived in China for 30 years and is quite familiar with almost every aspect of China. On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the reform and opening up, we’re honored to have Mr. Davide Cucino here to share his views on how to do business in China, the trade between China and Italy over the past 40 years, as well as the B&R initiative.