国内英语新闻:Italy, China launch strategic "innovation alliance"

The minister recalled the 250 Italian innovation projects showcased at the Shanghai Expo, stressing the importance for Italy 's small and medium enterprises to "exchange knowledge and technology" with Chinese counterparts.

Confindustria's deputy president Diana Bracco said Italy was looking forward to further boosting cooperation and trade with China especially in the fields of innovation and research.

"We can be privileged partners in such strategic areas because we all know that only those countries able to master technology will secure for themselves a long-standing economic growth and a sustainable and wide-spread well-being," she said.

Bracco observed that innovation was radically transforming industry thanks to the rise of nanotechnologies, new materials, biotechnology and electronics, and that most enterprises had understood innovation's strategic role in promoting development on a global scale.

"In the next 5 to 10 years all productive areas will face an upheaval: technology will allow integration between different sectors and increase competition," she said.

According to the European Commission's vice president Antonio Tajani, responsible for industry and entrepreneurship, what China mainly demands of Italy is cooperation in design and quality.

"If Minister Wan Gang stresses the important issues of design and quality, it means that the Chinese market especially requires this kind of Italian innovation and we must therefore increase investments in these sectors," he added.