“Most Italians often have an outdated image
of China and they also tend to underestimate its
ever-increasing signs of change. If we are able
to read them, it will certainly become a source of
wealth for us too”. Antonino Laspina, the director
of ICE Office in Beijing and coordinator of the ICE office network in China, seems confident that,
for our country, the most dynamic economy
in the world may hold more opportunities than risks. Chinese projects underway in the energy sector are smashing all previous records.
Against this background, big multinationals as well as small enterprises may find their place there. Unlike international competitors, Italy does not really possess any system technology, yet it boasts leading positions in application technologies, components, specific hi-tech solutions. Tangible opportunities are there, for those who are confident enough to take them.

“China takes Made in Italy very seriously - says Laspina - especially when it comes to quality.
Italy’s prestigious track record started being built in the Sixties, when, with Germany, we started exporting to China machinery for processing textiles, wood, plastics, mechanical components and so on. China’s economic growth was very often prompted by our machinery. That is why we are still regarded as the country of machines”. Yet, there are some weak points, calling for action. “Small and medium enterprises, especially, still find it hard to assign people with specialized job positions to such market, to train ad hoc staff, to ensure a well-established, ongoing presence on the territory. Italian companies must devise a strategy based on aggregation, take care of supply chains, adopt new business models that go beyond the conventional agent-based logic, ensuring stronger and better presence on site”.

Last hurdle: intellectual property rights. “I can’t deny China may still have issues in that regard. On the other hand, foreign companies also have their responsibilities, since they have long underestimated the problem. A lot of people thought it would take an unpredictable amount of time for China to reach our same levels of technology, by they were proven wrong. China’s technical ability developed faster than expected, which also offers advantages.
When China finally started creating innovation itself, it became aware that such innovation had
to be safeguarded against unfair competition that may cause harm. China’s awareness that traditional roles are reversing and that it may be the one to suffer huge damages is taking root”.