China: Italy-Liangjiang bilateral investment promotion desk opened
A bilateral investment promotion desk between Italy and the new area of Liangjiang in the municipality of Chongqing, was recently open. The help-desk is fruit of the collaboration between Chongqing Liangjiang and the Italian Chamber of Commerce in China, with the support of the Italian Consulate General. The inauguration ceremony was held less than one year after the signing by the Undersecretary for Economic Development, Ivan Scalfarotto, on 4 August 2017, of the Memorandum of Understanding with Chongqing Liangjiang to set up the help-desk.
The Chongqing Liangjiang area is the only national developing and foreign trade area in inland China and the third area to be approved by the Council of State after the Pudong New Area di Shanghai and the Binhai New Area in Tianjin. The area plays a key role in China’s most relevant development programmes as it is at the crossroads between different economic areas (the West Triangle Economic Zone, the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the South-West macro-region) and a cornerstone of the Belt and Road Initiative.
The aims of the agreement include identifying industrial and commercial projects involving companies of Italy and of the Chongqing Liangjiang area, promoting bilateral investment opportunities through targeted actions to enhance mutual knowledge, facilitating matchmaking activities and workshops between companies operating in the same sector, and supporting negotiations to obtain preferential treatment clauses and easy terms for the establishment of Italian companies in the Chongqing Liangjiang area. The list of the areas of greatest interest includes the following sectors; automotive, energy, environmental protection, machinery, electronics and services, logistics, aviation and aerospace, cloud computing and e-commerce.
Angola: Cremonini Group makes an investment in Angola co-funded by CDP
The Cremonini Group launched a project to build a food production and logistics centre (CNA, Centro Nacional Agro-alimentar) in Luanda, with the potential of expanding it at sub-continental level. The large facility will have a surface area of 192,000 sq km in the municipality of Kilamba, in the surroundings of Luanda, and will be the reception centre for incoming Angolan agricultural and livestock products where they will be processed, packaged, stocked and distributed to supermarkets, shops, restaurants, hotels, public agencies and sold directly in a cash and carry outlet.
The investment is estimated to amount to 150-200 million euros, expandable in future years depending on the success obtained by the initiative. The launching event was preceded by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding at the Ministry of Agriculture at the presence of Minister Nhunga. The MoU establishing the CNA was signed by Inalca Angola and Pecuang (Angolan livestock breeders), which established Peckinalca. The MoU was also signed by Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP), in the person of the Chief Business Officer, Antonella Baldino
