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Business forum held in Milan ahead of Beijing Week at Italian Expo

Xinhua, May 30, 2015 Adjust font size:

A Beijing-Milan business forum was held here on Friday with Chinese and Italian companies holding talks and signing agreements as China's capital Beijing prepares to make its debut at the Italian world exposition.

Expo Milano 2015, which kicked off on May 1, is an occasion for Beijing and Milan to enhance commercial cooperation in the year of 45th anniversary of China and Italy establishing diplomatic relations, Li Wei, Secretary General of the People's Government of Beijing Municipality, said in his welcome speech.

Beijing, China's capital with more than 3,000 years of recorded history, is an ancient but at the same time modern city that has registered an average annual economic growth of 7 to 8 percent in the last years, Li said.

Milan, the Italian business capital, is renowned in China as an excellence for fashion and design, he added. "Today we wish to write together a new page of economic cooperation," Li underlined.

According to estimates, by 2014 a total of 324 Italian companies had contracted investments in Beijing worth 230 million U.S. dollars, with actual utilization of 120 million U.S. dollars.

On Friday, several Chinese and Italian companies in sectors including fashion, culture, food and agriculture signed agreements or held business talks.

The meeting was attended by as many as more than 100 entrepreneurs from both countries in the sectors of urban agriculture, culture and creativity, modern media, fashion design, modern logistics, science and technology, economy and trade.

"Today's business meeting is one of the most interesting events held in Milan during the world exposition," Milan's Councillor for Commerce Franco D'Alfonso highlighted in his welcome address.

Friday's meeting was an occasion to seize business opportunities for the growth of both countries' economies, and exchange moment to strengthen bilateral cultural knowledge, he said.

During the Beijing Week, which is to officially open at Expo Milano 2015 on Saturday, Beijing's delegation will hold a series of events to present the deep-rooted culture and modern achievements of the Chinese capital, strengthen its international influence and promote cooperation with the rest of the world.

Among the planned activities, there will be the first overseas promotional presentation of the Beijing International Horticultural Exposition 2019, an A1-rating exposition focused on healthy lifestyle that will be held in Beijing's Yanqing county in 2019.

Cultural performances including art of Chinese flower arrangement, traditional methods to prepare Peking Duck as well as ballet drama Marco Polo animating the China Pavilion and other venues at the Milan's Expo site for five days. Endit