Lettieri noted that Italian-Chinese business cooperation is fruitful and said that cooperation with Italian companies can help Chinese companies explore third-party markets, while the Chinese market is also attractive for Italian companies.

ROME, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The time has come for Italian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to seize the growing opportunities to develop and prosper in China, Michele Lettieri, president of the Institute of Universal Art and Design (IUAD), told Xinhua in a recent interview.

"For many years we have been thinking about relations to the east, especially with China," he said. Lettieri is the son of the founder of IUAD, which was established more than 50 years ago.

After the first partnership agreement with Zhengzhou University 17 years ago, IUAD now has four collaborative projects with Chinese institutes to promote youth exchange and design education.

Going forward, Lettieri said he plans to open a new office in China with some Chinese partners to offer specific training courses tailored to local students.

He said that IUAD has rich experience in establishing cooperation with Italian and Chinese partners and that he was impressed by the rapid development of China in these years.

He noted that in recent years, Italian companies that have prospered in China have operated mainly in the luxury sector. However, there is a huge "unmet demand" for quality Italian products that are not luxury brands.

"Now is the time to match supply and demand, even for a product that is still high quality but not considered luxury, and that is usually produced by mid-sized companies that do not have the capacity to expand into China," he said.

"From an economic point of view, these small businesses can generate new business because they are the most dynamic force in the economy," he said, adding that "Italian craftsmanship and creativity comes from the diversity of many small artisans."

In Lettieri's view, Chinese young people studying in Italy and learning about local business can play a significant role in bringing "made in Italy" products to China.

"Without the support of these young people, these small businesses will never get there (to China)," he said.

The number of pre-registered Chinese students at Italian universities has jumped from 3,549 in 2021 to 4,726 in 2022, with those applying for arts courses numbering 1,948 last year, according to Uni-Italia, the official organisation promoting Italian higher education abroad.

Lettieri noted that Italian-Chinese business cooperation is fruitful and said that cooperation with Italian companies can help Chinese companies explore third-party markets, while the Chinese market is also attractive for Italian companies.

Over the past five years, bilateral trade has soared from 50 billion US dollars to nearly 80 billion US dollars, with Italian exports to China jumping by about 30 percent, official figures showed.

"I believe this momentum will be maintained, as it has been in past decades," he said.