Guangzhou, 28 March – The GBA Business Conference 2026 themed AI Innovation and Human Creativity was held in Guangzhou, gathering senior officials, prominent scholars and business leaders from Italy and China to explore new opportunities for bilateral cooperation in the AI era.
The conference opened with institutional remarks delivered by H.E. Massimo Ambrosetti, Ambassador of Italy to the PRC, Lorenzo Riccardi, Chairman of CCIC, Mr. Liu Zewu, Vice President of CCPIT Guangzhou, and Gianni Di Giovanni, Vice President of EUCCC.
All speakers reaffirmed the strong foundation of Italy–China economic and trade relations and highlighted the strategic importance of innovation-driven cooperation.
Francesco Pensabene, Italian Trade Commissioner to China and Mongolia, delivered a keynote speech on China’s foreign trade trends and new prospects for Italy–China trade exchanges. Prof. Giovanni Emanuele Corazza from the University of Bologna shared his insights on cyber-creativity as a new bridge connecting Italy and China.
In panel sessions moderated by Mattia Marino and Liam Ziqi Jia, Prof. Giovanni Tria, Prof. Fan Gang, Franco Fornari, Simone Ciampi and Fabian Blake held in-depth discussions on AI-driven business restructuring and development strategies for European SMEs in the GBA.
Vibrant Q&A sessions turned into highlights of the day: guests raised forward-looking questions on AI governance, cross-border investment, SME digital transformation and policy support, with speakers offering in-depth and practical insights that resonated strongly with the audience.
The Italian Chamber of Commerce in China will continue to build professional platforms to boost pragmatic cooperation and mutual development between Italian and Chinese enterprises.
