Foreign entrepreneurship in Italy flies: the Chinese leader is

If Italian business owners struggle to leave behind the economic difficulties suffered in recent years, foreign entrepreneurship in our country, however, enjoys good health. At least in terms of number, the latter continues to increase.

As of December 31, 2017, the CGIA Studies Office reports, foreign entrepreneurs (shareholders, owners, administrators, etc.) operating in Italy reached 805.477 (+ 2,5 percent compared to 2016) and ethnic groups more the Chinese one has become numerous.

In fact, at the end of last year, Chinese entrepreneurs leading an activity in Italy were 80.514, followed by Moroccan 79.391, Romanian 77.082 and Albanian 46.974.

Overall, foreign entrepreneurship increases and in 2017 it was equal to 8,8 per cent of the total Italy; in 2009 the share was 6,2 per cent (in absolute terms equal to 599.036). In the same period, however, Italian entrepreneurs (shareholders, owners, administrators, etc.) fell from 8,9 to less than 8,3 million (equal to -7,5 per cent).

In this note, Chinese entrepreneurship is at the center of the interest of the CGIA Studies Office. Consider that compared to 2009, the economic activities led by Chinese present in Italy even increased by 61,5 per cent, against an average increase in foreign entrepreneurs present in Italy which stood at 34,5 per cent.

"Although in some areas of our country there are pockets of illegality attributable to Chinese entrepreneurship that feed the underground economy and the counterfeiting market - declares the coordinator of the CGIA Studies Office Paolo Zabeo - we must not forget that migrants have always Chinese have distinguished themselves by a strong vocation for business activities. In fact, when they leave their country of origin, they are among the most skilled foreigners in using ethnic networks to carry out their migratory project, which takes place with the opening of an economic activity ".

The sectors most affected by the presence of entrepreneurs coming from the "celestial empire" are the trade / street vendors, with 26.200 owners, the manufacturing sector, with little more than 20.000 subjects (almost all employed in textiles-clothing and footwear) and catering- hotels and bars, with over 18.000 entrepreneurs.

Still contained, but with a very important growth trend, is the presence of Chinese entrepreneurs in the field of personal services, ie among hairdressers, beauticians and massage centers: the total number is close to 6.000 people, but between the 2016 and the 2017 the increase was almost 10 percent.

The entrepreneurial vocation of Chinese migrants, as we said, is very strong. If the incidence of foreign entrepreneurs on the total of foreign residents in Italy is equal to 15,7 per cent, the Chinese ones are even 27,7 per cent: out of over 290.600 Chinese resident in Italy, 80.500 lead an economic activity .

"Always - says the secretary Renato Mason - the main areas of origin of the Chinese migrants are the provinces of the South East of the country: Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong and Hainan. For these people, the search for success turns into a kind of moral debt towards the extended family and friends who have always been an indispensable support for those who want to emigrate ".

Lombardy, with over 18.800 entrepreneurs, is the region most populated by companies led by Chinese: followed by Tuscany, with almost 14.000, Veneto, with over 9.600 and Emilia Romagna, with just over 8.100. Over 62 percent of the total number of Chinese entrepreneurs present in our country is concentrated in these four regions.

Finally, in 2017, the total amount of sums of money sent to the country of origin by Chinese immigrants present in Italy was 136 million euros. Nothing to do with what happened in 2012, the year in which 2,6 billion euros were sent to China. This collapse can be explained on the one hand by the greater propensity of Chinese immigrants to invest in Italy, reducing ties with the country of origin, and on the other by the intensification of controls on transactions (money transfer), aimed at reducing improper use of this channel.

Foreign entrepreneurship in Italy flies: the Chinese leader is

| Economics |