800 Italian companies have a layout of 15 billion euros in China! Exclusive interview with senior executives of the Italian Chamber of Commerce of China: Companies in China tend to continue to increase long-term investment

Source: China Times

Seven hundred and fifty years ago, when the young Italian traveler Marco Polo set foot on the land of the East, he might not have imagined that he would become an eternal messenger connecting the civilizations of the East and the West. Just like the business and trade route that Marco Polo opened up back then, Italian enterprises are continuously deepening their presence in the Chinese market.

The latest "Business Confidence Survey 2024-2025" (hereinafter referred to as the "survey report") released by the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce shows that most Italian enterprises in China maintained stability despite facing pressure in their financial performance in 2024. Among them, 38% of the enterprises had flat revenues, 26% achieved moderate growth, and the trade, manufacturing, and automotive industries demonstrated remarkable resilience. Looking ahead to 2025, 40% of the enterprises expect growth, mainly driven by the dividends of new policies, the transformation of consumer demand, and innovation.

It is particularly worth mentioning that during Italian Prime Minister Meloni's visit to China in 2024, the "Action Plan for Strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between China and Italy (2024-2027)" signed included the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce as an important participating party for the first time.

Recently, during the series of interviews on "Friendly Promotion of Global National Brands" organized by the National Commercial Daily Federation, reporters from the China Times interviewed Lorenzo Riccardi, President of the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce (CICC), and Fabrizio Costa, Secretary General of the CICC.

"According to our latest research data in 2025, the total equity investment of the 800 member enterprises of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in China has reached 15 billion euros, and the vast majority of them are small and medium-sized enterprises," Lorenzo Riccardi, President of the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce, pointed out to the reporters of the China Times. Most member enterprises regard China as a strategic market for the development of their groups - especially those enterprises that have been rooted in China for many years, which are more inclined to continuously increase long-term investment.

The Total Equity Investment in China Reaches 15 Billion Euros

As a business association, the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce has a long history of more than 120 years. Lorenzo Riccardi said that more than a hundred years ago, there were already specialized institutions dedicated to promoting economic relations between China and Italy and safeguarding the interests of Italian merchants. This fully demonstrates Italy's long-lasting and profound attention to the Chinese market.

"According to our latest research data in 2025, the total equity investment of the 800 member enterprises of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in China has reached 15 billion euros, and the vast majority of them are small and medium-sized enterprises," Lorenzo Riccardi told the reporters.

Lorenzo Riccardi further pointed out that Italian small and medium-sized enterprises enjoy a high reputation in Europe for their high quality and innovation capabilities, which is also an important reason for Italy to become the coordinator of the EU's "USME Center" (Union of Small and Medium Enterprises). According to the latest survey in 2025, most member enterprises regard China as a strategic market for the development of their groups - especially those enterprises that have been rooted in China for many years, which are more inclined to continuously increase long-term investment.

The survey report shows that 31% of the enterprises plan to increase investment in research and development, focusing on digital transformation and sustainable development; in addition, 30% of the enterprises plan to strengthen the construction of the local supply chain, and 45% of the enterprises plan to focus on expanding distribution channels such as e-commerce.

Lorenzo Riccardi said that as the second largest manufacturing country in the EU and a country with a leading regional GDP, Italy is focusing on promoting bilateral trade with China in the fields of machinery and equipment, lifestyle (fishery and luxury goods), chemical medicine, etc. Among them, although the scale of agricultural product trade is relatively small, driven by China's digital transformation and innovation, it shows a remarkable growth rate and huge potential.

"China's geographical scale means both challenges and opportunities of the same magnitude," Lorenzo Riccardi particularly emphasized the scale effect of the Chinese market and its radiation potential. "China's attractiveness is not limited to this. China is participating in free trade agreements with 15 economies in Southeast Asia and the Pacific region through frameworks such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). These 15 economies together form a huge market, bringing great opportunities for Italian companies," Lorenzo Riccardi added. "The opportunities in the market are not only reflected in scale but also in the broad prospects of the free trade areas promoted by the free trade agreements."

Lorenzo Riccardi revealed that most Italian enterprises are considering increasing their presence in China because they believe that this market is not only related to the enhancement of investment value but also can effectively promote exports. At the same time, he also pointed out that Italian enterprises are facing many new challenges related to the slowdown of economic growth and are also affected by geopolitical factors and changes in the relations between different regions of the world.

To this end, the Italian Chamber of Commerce plans to hold a meeting with officials of the Italian Parliament in the near future to demonstrate the important value of the Chinese market for Italian enterprises and seek their support; at the same time, it will conduct the same communication with relevant Chinese institutions and will carry out similar dialogues with EU institutions in Brussels. "Establishing a political and business dialogue mechanism in China is of great value. This is why we are actively promoting enterprises to maintain close communication with central and local government departments at all levels," Lorenzo Riccardi further said.

Taking Advantage of the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics, the Winter Olympics Economy Becomes a New Engine for Cooperation

Regarding the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, Lorenzo Riccardi said in an interview with our newspaper: "The 2026 Italian Winter Olympics will be an important opportunity to promote the economic development of our country and the world and to promote cultural exchanges. As the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce, we are very honored to promote this grand event in many cities in China. Previously, I have represented the chamber of commerce and participated in"

He particularly pointed out that Italy's mountain economy accounts for 28% of the total mountain economy in Europe, which means that the largest share of GDP created by the European mountain industry comes from Italy. There are a total of 550,000 various enterprises in Italy's mountainous areas, employing 1.8 million people, and there are 9 UNESCO-designated world cultural heritages in Italy, all of which are located in the mountainous areas.

"The upcoming Winter Olympics will be an excellent platform for promoting Italian mountain sports, hotel culture and tourism, and related industries," said Lorenzo Riccardi, as the President of the chamber of commerce. He revealed that the chamber of commerce is fully promoting the promotion work of the Winter Olympics: previously, he participated in the "Italian Mountain Day" event of the Italian Embassy in China on behalf of the chamber of commerce, focusing on promoting the economic industries related to the Italian Alps; and it plans to hold a major promotion event in November, inviting friends from all walks of life in China to participate, and also plans to invite Italian sports stars to support, presenting the value of the Winter Olympics from multiple dimensions and presenting the achievements of "Made in Italy" in economic fields such as sports equipment and cultural industries in a three-dimensional way.

Fabrizio Costa, Secretary General of the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce, expressed his agreement: "With the approach of the Winter Olympics, we are considering how to strengthen our layout in the tourism field. We are working closely with relevant departments of the Italian government and the Italian Embassy in China to study how to increase support for mountain tourism and the winter sports industry - these fields are currently receiving high attention from the Chinese people."

Fabrizio Costa shared with the reporters of the China Times that as Chinese consumers' interest in these projects is increasing day by day, Italy also hopes to attract more Chinese tourists. "In the future, the Italian Chamber of Commerce will not only focus on business cooperation but also increase its investment in economic and cultural exchanges," he particularly emphasized. "Cultural exchanges themselves are an important engine for promoting economic and trade cooperation. The Italian Chamber of Commerce has accumulated rich experience in this regard. We have cooperated with the cultural department and the embassy to hold a large number of cultural activities, which have not only promoted people-to-people exchanges but also driven economic development."

China and Italy Establish a Three-Year Cooperation Action Plan

From July 27th to 31st, 2024, Italian Prime Minister Meloni paid an official visit to China at the invitation. During this period, China and Italy announced a three-year economic cooperation action plan - the "Action Plan for Strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between China and Italy (2024-2027)", establishing a three-year economic cooperation framework.

Lorenzo Riccardi emphasized: "It is worth noting that this action plan clearly lists the Italian Chamber of Commerce as an important participating party." He pointed out that this document aims to promote economic and trade cooperation between the two countries in strategic fields such as innovation and sustainable development, and also covers multiple key fields such as medical and health care, cultural exchanges, and trade and investment, which will have a profound impact on the future development of the relations between Italy and China.

"The Italian Chamber of Commerce will continue to actively participate in various political and business delegation activities, fully promote economic dialogue between the two countries, and earnestly fulfill its responsibilities and missions in the action plan," Lorenzo Riccardi said.

In addition, in recent years, the Italian Chamber of Commerce has listed the cultivation of young talents and the improvement of cooperation capabilities with China-Italy innovation clusters and innovative enterprises as strategic priorities. Fabrizio Costa said that on the one hand, the chamber of commerce is attracting more young professionals to understand China and explore business opportunities in China through multiple measures. "In China, we are seeing more and more Italian young people coming to develop. Many people, like many of my colleagues in the chamber of commerce, choose to stay in China to start businesses and look for business opportunities after completing their Chinese language studies," he told the reporters.

On the other hand, the Italian Chamber of Commerce continues to pay close attention to the vigorous innovation dynamics in China and promotes collaborative cooperation between China-Italy innovation clusters and enterprises. Fabrizio Costa pointed out: "China's innovation achievements are very attractive to Italian enterprises."

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