Interview: Italy aims to become technological partner of China: scholar

Italy hopes to become a technological partner of China as it would achieve a win-win result for both countries, a scholar has said.

In an interview with Xinhua ahead of Italian President Sergio Mattarella's planned visit to China later this month, Giuliano Noci, marketing professor at Politecnico University in Milan, said that Italy doesn't simply want to sell its technologies to Chinese companies but aims to set up a partnership with China in this regard.

As far as innovation development of Italy and China is concerned, the professor said the two countries have started discussing the issue since October 2014 when Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited Milan for the Fifth Italy-China Innovation Forum.

It could be a "win-win opportunity" because Italian firms are adept at carrying out innovative process and China is very strong in engineering innovation projects on a large scale, Noci said.

He added that the two parties' advantages combined would "create a perfect mix and set up an exclusive way of innovation development characterized by China-Italy feature."

The economic transition underway in China is pushing forward the country's "industrial system toward innovation on the one hand, and to manufacturing high-end products on the other," the professor said.

Resulting from the government's 13th Five-Year plan, and more precisely from the "Made in China 2025" program, such a process marked an obvious change from previous practice of its industrial system.

"It is leading Chinese companies to move abroad, to change their positioning and to develop and nurture a brand-quality approach," Noci said.

From the perspective of Europe, the professor hoped a strategic dialogue could be developed between China and Europe based on a pragmatic attitude from both sides.

"There are a lot of debates in terms of World Trade Organization (WTO) rules and recognition of China's market economy status... Yet, I think (it)really is never black and white," he said.

Noci stressed that defining clear objectives, rules of the game, and above all developing a "new mind-set" would be of mutual benefit.

"It is in the interest of Europe as well as of China to set up a strategic dialogue under a new framework," he said. Endi