Tria, Ambrosetti and world managers at the forum of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in China
Trade, investment, technological innovation and sustainability were at the center of the high-level dialogue ‘China, Europe & Italy: Shaping Economic Cooperation in a Changing World’, organized in Shanghai by the Italian Chamber of Commerce in China as part of the Panda D’Oro Gala Awards 2026.
The meeting, hosted at the Shanghai Design Innovation Institute, brought together representatives of institutions, the academic world, finance and international business to discuss the prospects of economic relations between China, Europe and Italy in a phase marked by profound geopolitical and technological changes.
Opening the proceedings, the president of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in China, Gianni Di Giovanni, recalled the importance of maintaining a constructive dialogue between the different economies and of encouraging long-term partnerships based on mutual trust, innovation and economic complementarity.
The debate focused on the evolution of economic relations between China and Europe, the prospects for trade and investment, industrial competitiveness and the role of innovation as a driver of growth. The topics addressed also include strengthening the resilience of supply chains, sustainable development strategies and collaboration between the public and private sectors.
Among the key speakers was Giovanni Tria, former Minister of Economy and Finance and current member of the board of directors of the Bank of China, who highlighted the centrality of dialogue and financial cooperation between Europe and China in an increasingly interconnected international context.
Wang Zhan, former president of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, illustrated China’s long-term development strategy and the role that the country intends to play in global economic dynamics, underlining the opportunities that international partnerships can offer in terms of innovation and shared growth.
On the business side, Denis Depoux, Global Managing Director of Roland Berger, analyzed the transformations that are redefining international markets, from digitalisation to artificial intelligence, arguing the need for companies to strengthen their ability to innovate and adapt to a rapidly evolving economic scenario.
The Italian ambassador to China, Massimo Ambrosetti, also took part in the debate, sharing some reflections on the strategic value of the partnership between Rome and Beijing and the importance of keeping the channels of economic dialogue open between the two countries. The journalist and Bloomberg anchor Lucille Liu moderated the discussion.
