Expo 'will boost Italy-China ties'

(ANSA) Milan, March 23 - "Expo 2015 will be a great chance to re-launch our economy and a strategic stage to nourish economic relations and cooperation between Italy and China," Milan Chamber of Commerce and Confcommercio retailers' association president Carlo Sangalli said Monday.
    Sangalli made his remarks while speaking to a delegation from Chinese chambers of commerce which Monday also visited the construction sites for the Chinese Pavilion at the Milan Expo 2015 universal exhibition.
    Sangalli said that economic relations between China and the region of Lombardy are "increasing constantly" with a growth of imports by 5% in the first nine months of 2014 and exports up by 7%, trade that together was worth 10 billion euros.
    Out of 2.4 billion euros worth of exports from the region, 1.1 billion were from Milan, some 300 million from Bergamo and Brescia and over 200 million from Varese and Monza.
    Biggest export sectors by volume were machine tools, clothing and chemical and medical products.
    "Italy has made great structural reforms and we too in China are carrying out reforms to improve the system," said Jiang Zhangwei, president of the Chinese council for promotion of international trade.