On March 17th, 2026, the Italian Chamber of Commerce in China (CCIC) welcomed a Sardinia delegation in Chengdu, with CCIC Vice President in the Southwest Massimo Bagnasco representing the chamber for the meeting. The delegation, led by Fabio Mereu, Vice President of Confartigianato Imprese Sud Sardegna, and its Secretary-General Pietro Paolo Spada, comprised 10 Italian enterprises hailing from the Sardinia region, marking a key step in fostering Sino-Italian regional economic and trade exchanges.
To offer the delegation an in-depth understanding of Chengdu’s business landscape and development potential, the meeting was held at the Chengdu Opening-up and International Cooperation Center (CIOCC). Prior to the bilateral talks, CIOCC delivered a detailed presentation on Chengdu’s business environment in the China Europe Cooperation Centre (CCEC) enabling the Sardinian delegates to gain first-hand insights into the city’s opening-up initiatives and EU-China cooperation platforms.
In the bilateral talks, Vice President Massimo Bagnasco introduced the CCIC’s nationwide operational and membership network in China– and also highlighted the EU SME Centre - an EU-funded initiative in its Phase V (2025–2028) implemented by a consortium lead by CCIC - introducing the free support services provided by the EUSME Center for understanding and approaching the Chinese market, and also its advocacy efforts for more favorable policies for European SMEs in China.
During the talks, the Sardinia delegation shared the objectives of their visit to Chengdu, stating that this was an exploratory trip for SMEs from the Sardinia region. The 10 participating enterprises span a diverse range of sectors, including technological innovation, construction technology, agri-food production and digital innovation research, showcasing the professional strengths and industrial diversity of the Sardinian business community. The delegates expressed the desire to deepen their understanding of Chengdu’s economic development trends, and explored potential opportunities for technical exchanges, commercial cooperation and industrial collaboration between Sardinia and Chengdu in the above-mentioned key sectors.
This meeting has built a communication bridge between Sardinia and CCIC Southwest, laying a solid foundation for future bilateral cooperation. As a key link for Sino-Italian business exchanges, CCIC will continue to leverage its network and resources to facilitate cooperation between Italian regional enterprises and local Chinese markets.
