An Italian enterprise signs a contract with a Chinese merchant during the second China International Import Expo in Shanghai. [Photo/WeChat account: SPAFFC]

The 19th century French political economist, Frederic Bastiat, once said, "When goods don't cross borders, soldiers will."

When commodities and merchants cross borders, so do the ideas and innovations of different nations, taking with them mutual understanding and the trust of different people. This exchange of commodities and civilizations existed during the time of the ancient Silk Road, and it was this that drove foreign businessmen like Marco Polo to travel thousands of miles to China and the Yangtze River Delta for trade.

Following in the footsteps of Marco Polo 700 years later, the Consulate General of Italy in Shanghai, Michele Cecchi, set off on the new Silk Road to China. Although he is not a businessman, he undertook the mission of promoting economic, trade and cultural exchanges between China and Italy.

After participating in this year's China International Import Expo (CIIE), Cecchi believes that the expo not only provides an opportunity to exchange "business cards", but also expands interpersonal communication.

As an export-oriented country, Italy attaches great importance to the CIIE. In 2019, it was one of the guest countries of honor at the second CIIE.

This year, a total of 161 companies from Italy participated in the expo, covering seven exhibition areas. In addition to large and well-known companies that make up national delegations, there are also a large number of collective delegations organized by high-quality small and medium-sized enterprises, start-ups and organizations. In the case of Italy, they included the Fondazione Italia Cina and the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce.

Cecchi believes there is still huge potential for cooperation between Chinese and Italian State-owned enterprises. "China has many large State-owned enterprises and is an active market with 1.4 billion consumers who seek quality products and lifestyles as well as environmentally friendly solutions," said Cecchi.

According to Cecchi, not only is Italy a country of excellence in fashion, design, catering and sports, it is also a leader in life sciences, biomedicine, new materials, advanced manufacturing, environmental solutions, the circular economy and health care.

"There are huge opportunities for Sino-Italian cooperation in these areas, which will promote sustainable development and social cohesion for both sides."

After the second expo, the Italian Consulate General conducted a survey of 161 participating companies. Eighty-six percent of the respondents were satisfied with the expo, and 91 percent expressed their willingness to continue to participate next year.

2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Italy. Cecchi revealed that celebrations will be held next year with a focus on culture and tourism.