Information
The forum is focused on mutually beneficial strategies and investment opportunities sparked by the Belt and Road Initiative that will catalyze development and new industrial activities all over Eurasia (China, Central Asia, Middle East, Europe).
Date: November 23-24, 2017
Venue: Ca’Vendramin Calergi, Venice
Organizer: China Development Institute, The European House – Ambrosetti
Theme: Belt and Road: Seize the Next Wave of Growth in Eurasia
Program
Thursday, November 23
14:00 – 15:00 Opening Remarks
- Paolo Borzatta (Senior Partner, The European House – Ambrosetti)
- FAN Gang (President, China Development Institute)
- LI Ruiyu (Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Italy)
- Riccardo NENCINI (Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Italy)
- Fatih CIFTCI (Deputy Minister of Custom and Trade, Republic of Turkey)
15:00 – 16:30 The Geo-economics of the Belt and Road
Moderator:
- Paolo COSTA (Chairman, Spea Engineering; Former Minister of Public Works, Italy; Former Mayor of Venice)
Panelists:
- Giovanni ANDORNINO (Vice President, Torino World Affairs Institute)
- Giorgio BRUNO (Executive Vice President Corporate and Chief Corporate Development, Pirelli)
- FANG Ke (Director, Investment Operations, The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank)
- Paolo MAGRI (Executive Vice President and Director, ISPI)
- ZHANG Wei (Deputy President, Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, Ministry of Commerce, P.R. China)
Q&A
16:30 – 17:00 Coffee Break
17:00 – 18:30 Financing the Belt and Road
Moderator:
- FAN Gang (President, China Development Institute)
Panelists:
- FENG Chunping (General Manager of Strategic Planning Department, The Export-Import Bank of China)
- Beniamino QUINTIERI (Chairman, SACE)
- WANG Jianye (Managing Director, Silk Road Fund & Professor of Economics and Director of the Volatility Institute at NYU Shanghai)
Q&A
Friday, November 24
09:00 – 10:45 Infrastructural Revolution in Eurasia
Moderator:
- Massimo DE DONATO (Radio and TV Author; Editor in Chief, Tir Magazine)
Panelists:
- Antonio Enrico BARTOLI (Ambassador of Italy to Georgia)
- Ketevan BOCHORISHVILI (CEO, JSC Anaklia City, Georgia)
- LI Lanfang (Founder and Chairwoman, Whale Offshore Engineering Group)
- LI Quanyong (Chief Economist, Tianjin Port Group)
- Riccardo Maria MONTI (Chairman, Italferr)
- Pino MUSOLINO (Chairman, Venice Port Authority)
Q&A
10:45 – 11:15 Coffee Break
11:15 – 12:45 Air Transport and Logistics
Moderator:
- Massimo DE DONATO (Radio and TV Author; Editor in Chief, Tir Magazine)
Panelists:
- Giulio DE METRIO (COO, SEA Group – Milan Airports)
- Enrico MARCHI (CEO, SAVE Group – Venice and Treviso Airports)
- MIAO Weisheng (President, Hainan Airlines Institute of Economics)
- ZHOU Shunbo (Executive Director, Department of New Economy Research, China Development Institute)
Q&A
12:45 – 14:30 Luncheon
14:30 – 16:30 Innovative Business Strategies along the Silk Roads
Moderator:
- Paolo BORZATTA (Senior Partner, The European House – Ambrosetti)
Panelists:
- Mammad AHMADZADA (Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Italy)
- Piergiorgio BORGOGELLI (CEO and Managing Director, Italian Trade Agency)
- Francesco DE BETTIN (Founder & CEO, DBA Group)
- Murat Salim ESENLI (Ambassador of Turkey to Italy)
- QIN Gang (Head of Strategy Planning and Business Development, China International Marine Containers (Group) Ltd)
- ZHENG Zhibin (General Manager of Global Smart City Business Department and Chief Smart City Consultant, Huawei)
Q&A
16:30 – 16:45 Closing Remarks
- XU Lin (Director General, China Center for Urban Development, National Development and Reform Commission of China)
- Paolo BORZATTA (Senior Partner, The European House – Ambrosetti)
Highlights
Here are some excerpts from the Belt and Road: Seize the Next Wave of Growth in Eurasia.
“We wish to seized this historic opportunity, strengthen communication between China and Italy.”
In the 19th CPC National Congress, China made the commitment of pushing forward international cooperation under Belt and Road Initiative, following the principle of achieving shared growth through discussion and collaboration. We wish to seized this historic opportunity, strengthen communication between China and Italy, as well as collaboration in all areas, including infrastructure, with goal to benefit both countries’ people.
LI Ruiyu, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Italy
“Even though China is poor in terms of income (i.e. GDP per capita), but China is rich in terms of wealth.”
China accumulated huge savings from the past 20 years. The economic rational of OBOR Initiative is that we should invest our national savings in concrete projects which can help others develop.
FAN Gang, President, CDI
“China – EU economic and trade cooperation still has great potential.”
Belt and Road Initiative has accelerated economic growth in countries along the Belt and Road. By the end of 2016, there were totally 56 industrial parks in 20 countries, creating 180,000 jobs. Meanwhile, China is in the middle of consumption reform, with increasing demand on European high value goods.
ZHANG Wei, Vice President, Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, Ministry of Commerce, P.R. China
“The financing demand is huge, and cannot be met by single bank or country.”
It’s necessary to mobilize various source of financing, e.g. government, commercial banks, institutional investors, existing MDBs, new MDBs, bilateral banks, policy banks etc. In addition, Public financing is not enough, private capital is also needed in infrastructure projects. However due to complicated nature of infrastructure development, private sector financing declined over the years.
FANG Ke, Senior Manager, Investment Operations, AIIB
“We should quantify risk in order to correspond with investment.”
Return of infrastructure construction is low. Therefore, infrastructure projects do not appeal to capitals. We should convert social benefits into economic benefits, increasing financial appeal for investors.
FENG Chunping, General Manager of Strategic Planning Department, The Export-Import Bank of China
“Financing the development of the Belt and Road has to be on market principles.”
Special attention should also be paid to social responsibilities and environmental protection. Building alliance with local stakeholders and going green would help achieve commercial success in the relatively risky segments of the market.
WANG Jianye, Managing Director, Silk Road Fund Co., Ltd. and Professor of Economics and Director of the Volatility Institute at NYU Shanghai
“Nowadays there is a regional trend towards peace, brining room for economic growth.”
Urbanization along the sild road has increased rapidly, which is reflected in production growth, tourism growth, and the rising significance of Mediterranean.
Murat Salim ESENLI, Ambassador of Turkey to Italy
“We need to build broader and deeper partnerships.”
With mutual understanding and trust, we should be open to signing regional and bilateral cooperation framework and free trade agreement.
XU Lin, Director General, China Center for Urban Development, National Development and Reform Commission
“In the time of leadership shift, business opportunities rise.”
Under the Belt and Road Initiative, companies should take risks and seize the opportunities. While large enterprises take the lead, smaller ones follow.
Paolo BOZATTA, Senior Partner, The European House – Ambrosetti
Gallery
https://en.cdi.org.cn/component/k2/item/394-belt-and-road-seize-the-next-wave-of-eurasia#sigProId5d3f18d509
