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The  China-Italy Chamber of Commerce includes about 550 companies. It aims at offering its members occasions for meeting and discussion. Its Vice-Chairman, Mr. Claudio d’Agostino, tells us how China is changing, the new business models, Shanghai’s role on the global scenario: “Shanghai will continue to rank number one in China’s economic and financial marketplace. However, it will not be a global player, if not indirectly for a certain period of time”.

Would you please make a short summary of the activities run by the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce?

This year the Chamber turns twenty years old. It is an interesting anniversary because it reflects the long-lasting presence of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in China, apart the still longer presence of the U.K. and the U.S. Chambers of Commerce. This year we count about 550 members, about the same number as in the past years. In the meantime, some of the earlier members have left China, other companies have established their premises here. Unfortunately, difficulties in the Italian economic situation  have repercussions also here. In other words, the number of members is quite steady and we do not report the same growth as in the golden years, i.e. between 2005 and 2008.
Most of our members, more than 50%, are established in Shanghai or in the nearby areas. A large presence of Italian companies is reported also in Beijing and  Tianjin, but their number is surely lower. The Guangdong region has a very significant presence of Italian operators – they are not rooted there, there is rather a sourcing activity: they buy, they have people manufacturing goods  for them, they check production; all these activities do not necessarily require a stable presence in China (and moreover the proximity to Hong Kong favours settlement there). At the moment, I think we can say that the largest Italian presence in China is concentrated in Shanghai and in the nearby areas.

Can you talk about the mission of the Chamber of Commerce in China?

Our mission is putting together Italian companies which permanently operate in China, by creating opportunities for meeting and discussing. Parallel to this so-called "institutional" mission, we have another goal:  joining together, in their quality of members, Italian and Chinese companies. The problem of our Chamber of Commerce, however, is that, for regulatory reasons and domestic laws, it is not possible for us, unlikely for other Chambers in the world, to directly associating purely Chinese entities.

Which kind of services are offered by the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce to Italians?
I think that the most important services are: producing information (we publish a thematic journal, we keep a well updated website, we distribute a press review on themes which may be of interest for Chinese and Italian companies, we periodically organize seminars on themes having general interest) and aiming at gathering people (by organizing events and other occasions for socialization). To put it in a nutshell, we do not provide services directed to members. When we are required for specific services we put in touch the members operating in that specific field in order to meet a particular request.

What are the peculiarities and activities of the Shanghai branch?
We work a lot and we have the largest number of members. We organize events and, whenever possible, we do this also in cooperation with other Chambers of Commerce. In these cases, the public and also the importance of the speakers increase.  In practice, these events are organized weekly. Not too far from Shanghai, in Suzhou, we report a considerable presence of Italian companies. Some of them are organized in the form of working groups of the Chamber of Commerce and they are in a condition to organize activities of information and co-operation even in a more efficient way. An exceptional model, which was created and is currently nourished by the initiative of some members, who were willing to be at reciprocal service and wished to join other members, a commitment which we hardily reported in other places.

Which are your publications?
Our "Quaderno" is a quarterly monographic review, which provides a deeper insight on Chinese business and economy and their relations with Italy. It is published in three languages: Italian, English and Chinese. It demands an important editorial effort but it always succeeds in collecting top-quality contributions.

How much does it cost to become a member of the Chamber?
2,500 RMB/year (about 290€, Writer’s note) for ordinary members, 5,000 for supporting members.

Let’s talk about China and business. Once companies came to China for manufacturing goods and for buying raw materials. Has something changed?
Definitely. Once we came here to set up joint ventures or, in any case, manufacturing companies (and sooner or later to close them). Nowadays commercial activities dominate. Naturally, we come for establishing import-export companies, but also retail activities.

Innovation, patents: what can be revealed from data about China you have in hands?
I do not know to which extent China can be really considered a country of innovation. Reasons are manifold and related to training paths and cultural sensibilities. Having said that, if we base our analysis on the number of registered patents, we note that their total number per year has recently reached if not surpassed  the number of those registered in the United States.

Do you agree with the definition that China is not the homeland but just a centre of creativity?
I believe that from a cultural and psychological point of view China is not yet in a condition to be the incubatory room for big innovations. It is a country which can improve and bring to perfection the existing intuition. With due exceptions, California, and in particular the Silicon Valley, is still the heart of global innovation and it is the place where, currently economic situation permitting,  ideas find their financial support.

How are divided the Italian companies which are members of the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce?
We have representatives of the large-scale enterprise, about 20%, and the rest is constituted by the representatives of small and medium-size industry. There is a large number of companies which are active in the mechanical field and, more generally, which deal with the production and sale of capital goods. Obviously the textile, fashion and clothing fields are largely present, while less significant is the presence of members of the food and services sectors. Italy, on the other hand, is like this: manufacturing machines, for the textile, fashion and clothing sectors, here in China we do not discover ourselves different from what we are.