Welcome to the Tianjin Italian SME Industrial Park website!

China and Italy, situated at opposite ends of the historic Silk Road, are partnering to enhance global prosperity through joint development. Recently, the two countries have collaborated fruitfully in various domains, such as economics, trade, science and technology, and culture. As a highly industrialized nation, Italy is renowned as the 'Kingdom of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises,' with small and medium-sized firms accounting for over 98% of Italian companies. Conversely, China is Asia's biggest trading partner of Italy and the third-largest source of Italian imports. Meanwhile, Italy is the fourth-largest trading partner of China, the third-biggest importer of technology, the fourth-largest export market, and the fifth-largest source of imports in the European Union. The total trade volume between China and Italy stood at USD 73.954 billion in 2021, representing a 34% increase year-on-year, while Italy's exports to China rose by 36.3% year-on-year. In 2022, the total import and export volume between Italy and China soared to a record high of USD77.884 billion, an increase of 5.4% year-on-year. These statistics underscore the tremendous potential and remarkable resilience of pragmatic cooperation between China and Italy.

Tianjin: A Strategic Location for Sino-Italian Cooperation

Tianjin, situated in the northern region of China, is one of the four municipalities directly administered by the Central Government of China. It holds immense strategic significance as a pivotal point of the Maritime Silk Road, intersects with the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI*),and serves as the nearest eastern starting point of the Eurasian Continental Bridge. With a vast economic hinterland supported by North China, Northwest China, and Northeast China, Tianjin plays a pivotal role in facilitating trade and commerce in the northern provinces of China and is also the largest port city in the region. The history of exchanges between Tianjin and Italy dates back a long way, laying a solid foundation for cooperation between the two nations. Notably, the Tianjin Italian Style Town, covering an expansive area of 284,500 sqm and situated on the east bank of the Haihe River, stands as the largest and most comprehensive Italian-style architectural complex in Asia.

Tianjin and Italy: A Fruitful Partnership

In 2019, the import and export volume between Tianjin and Italy amounted to RMB 7.45 billion, representing a year-on-year increase of 14.2%. Imports from Italy were valued at RMB 4.7 billion, marking a year-on-year growth of 26.9%. As of December 2021, 178 Italian-invested enterprises have established a presence in Tianjin, with a contractual investment of USD 942 million and an actual investment of USD 470 million. During the challenging COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Tianjin demonstrated its strong solidarity by donating 397 boxes of epidemic prevention materials, including masks and protective gear, to Italy.

Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone: A Crucial Economic Function Zone in Northern China

Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone stands as a crucial economic function zone in northern China. In recent years, the zone has greatly emphasized developing industrial clusters in diverse fields, such as civil aviation, marine economy, bio-manufacturing, high-end equipment manufacturing, fast-moving consumer goods, intelligent technology, and new materials, hydrogen energy, and modern service industries. The zone has made effective use of its strategic location, industry, infrastructure, policy advantages, and talented workforce to support socio-economic growth and is now an important driver of China's national initiatives such as promoting the Belt and Road Initiative, developing pilot free trade zones, and advancing the coordinated development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei.

Tianjin Italian SME Industrial Park: A Prime Destination for Italian Investment in China

To fulfill the MoU signed by the governments of China and Italy to jointly advance the Belt and Road Initiative in 2019, the Tianjin Municipal Government has decided to establish the Tianjin Italian SME Industrial Park, leveraging the Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone's resources to create a market-oriented, legalized international business environment. This initiative aims to support the growth and prosperity of Italian SMEs in Tianjin, promote bilateral cooperation in economic and trade, SMEs, sci-tech, and position the park as a prime destination for Italian investment in China. Furthermore, the park is envisioned to be a bridgehead for China-Italy strategic cooperation and an international economic and trade cooperation zone with significant overseas influence. To this end, Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone has established established a strategic partnership with the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce (CICC), set up a dedicated service agency, built various business operation carriers, and developed incentives to provide top-notch services to Italian-invested enterprises.

China and Italy: A Promising Partnership for the Future

Looking ahead, China's middle-income population is expanding, and people have an increasing demand for high-quality products and services. In addition, China is accelerating its efforts to achieve carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. China aims to establish a new development paradigm in which domestic circulation plays a dominant role and domestic and international circulations reinforce each other. This will provide a strong impetus for greater connectivity between the two major markets in China and Europe. The China-Europe Geographical Indications Agreement has already come into effect, and negotiations have been concluded on the China-Europe Comprehensive Agreement on Investment, which will provide enterprises with more comprehensive institutional guarantees regarding market access and intellectual property protection. These two agreements will facilitate the expansion of high-quality 'Made in Italy' products into the Chinese market. The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China has drawn a new blueprint for China's development. It has also opened up new opportunities for the development of Sino-Italian relations and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries. During President Xi Jinping's meeting with Prime Minister Meloni in Bali, Indonesia, he emphasized the need for the two sides to explore the potential for cooperation in high-end manufacturing, clean energy, aviation and aerospace, and third-party markets. China is committed to high-level opening up and will import more high-quality products from Italy. With the concept of win-win cooperation, Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone will use the Tianjin Italian SME Industrial Park as a platform to create a better business environment and work hand in hand with partners to write a new chapter of Tianjin-Italy cooperation.

Thank you for your attention to our website and welcome your suggestions for the development of the Tianjin Italian SME Industrial Park.

May 2023

*The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was first proposed by China’s President Xi Jinping during state visits to Kazakhstan and Indonesia in 2013. Officially, it was initiated with the publication of the first key document, ‘Vision and Actions on Jointly Building the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road,’ in 2015. The BRI aims at fostering international prosperity in general, and that of the countries involved in particular. Additionally, it aims to promote regional economic integration and social interaction among the countries involved, thus contributing to world peace. China seeks cooperation with the BRI countries and regions in political communications, infrastructure connection, trade relations, circulations of currencies and financial resources, and mutual social understandings.