Introduction

Founded in November 2003 by Cesare Romiti, the Italy China Foundation acts and supports institutions and companies to promote political, economic, commercial, scientific and cultural exchanges between the two countries. The Foundation originates - integrating, strengthening and completing their aims and activities - from two important institutions active since the beginning of diplomatic relations between the two countries: the Italy China Chamber of Commerce (founded in 1970) and the Italy China Institute (founded in 1971).

The Foundation pursues the objectives of:
- facilitate the flow of people, ideas, capital, goods and services between Italy and China
- foster and support collaboration and entrepreneurial / industrial penetration in both countries
- promote Made in Italy

From the twenty founding members, the Foundation has grown over time and now has offices in Milan, Beijing and Chongqing, over 200 partners and a network of thousands of companies and institutional entities: Italian companies of different sectors, sizes and objectives, which count with the market Chinese, Chinese multinationals that have invested in our country, organizations and associations.

Private and non-profit, the Foundation sees within its Board of Directors the presence of important political and economic institutional bodies of both countries, including Italian Ministries and Regions, ICE and the main Italian and Chinese diplomatic representations. This presence strengthened relations with Chinese public institutions, to the benefit of ours and their activities on the Chinese market.

The importance of the role of the Foundation is also expressed in the coordination work that takes place on several occasions in projects of national interest in bilateral relations. The institutional aspect is also reinforced by the collaboration with various bilateral bodies at international level, among which we also point out the active and strategic participation of the Italy China Foundation in the Eu-China Business Association (EUCBA), the association of chambers of commerce and private institutions. for China. The enhancement of the Italian presence in China, and vice versa, is supported by the promotion of educational, economic and scientific events and activities in order to present Italy as a “System”.

Over the years the Foundation has grown, expanding its membership base and tightening increasingly close relations with public institutions, large companies and SMEs with multinationals and financial groups, many of what they have done and are still part of its board of directors. The goal, from the earliest years, was to open a dialogue between Italy and China from an economic point of view, cultural and scientific, accounting and making the Italian business sector, to which support is provided in institutional and commercial relations with counterparts Chinese. With this in mind, it was opened the Continuing Education School of the Foundation, providing Chinese language courses to students and professionals Italians and Italian courses to Chinese students through the Marco Polo program-Turandot, but also works to close contact with the world of schools and the business, thanks to its corporate training courses to prepare the business world to a better interaction with their Asian counterparts. Today, the Foundation aims to strengthen and develop its mediation role and relationship between Italy and China: If the beginning focused its activities mainly to promote and support the internationalization of Italian companies to China, now the Foundation works increasingly also in the opposite direction, in support of those Chinese companies that choose Italy and Europe for their investments, promoting trade in both directions at the disposal of ever new needs of business.

VISION
The Foundation promotes the creation of a national economy with respect to China to ensure an effective link between the public and private sectors and to promote a strategy that Italy needs to gain positions in the Chinese market. This has already been made with the integration of the China Chamber of Commerce and the Institute Italo Chinese.

MISSION
The Foundation pursues the objectives of:
• facilitate the flow of people, ideas, capital, goods and services between Italy and China
• improve Italy's presence in China and with Chinese institutions
• achieve a better strategic and commercial positioning
• promote the Made in Italy
Consistent with its mission, the Foundation assists Italians operators focusing system initiatives involving the public and private but also by providing targeted advice to individual companies.