The “<a href="http://www.world-today-news.com/a-chair-of-italian-culture-in-beijing-with-prodi-as-holder-the-initiative-of-the-agnelli-foundation-elkann-a-lot-of-desire-for-italy-in-china/" title="A chair of Italian culture in Beijing, with Prodi as holder. The initiative of the Agnelli Foundation. Elkann: "A lot of desire for Italy in China"”>Agnelli Chair” at Peking University? So Elkann hopes to relaunch Stellantis in China
A cultural bridge to bring Italy and China further closer. A relaxing initiative that takes on even more value after the Sergio Mattarella’s visit beyond the Wallhis meeting with the Chinese president Xi Jinping and the numerous agreements signed by the two leaders. This might seem to be the meaning of Agnelli Chair of Italian culture opened in Beijing by the Agnelli Foundation, a 2.5 million euro investment inaugurated at the China-Europe Philanthropy Innovation Research Center of Peking University.
Stellantis’ obvious interest in the Agnelli Chair in Beijing
However, it seems appropriate to use the conditional because, behind the culture, there is also a clear commercial interest on the part of Stellantis, the automotive group chaired by John Elkann. Elkann himself is also president of the Agnelli Foundation, and present at the inaugural ceremony in Beijing. Elkann was clear: “The Agnelli Chair that we inaugurate in Beijing is a bridge that we build to stimulate mutual understanding and peaceful collaboration between our countries: it will proudly tell China about the best of Italian culture, yesterday and today, and at the same time it will strengthen dialogue with the Chinese world in all its aspects. A particularly important objective in phases of uncertainty and global tensions such as the current one.”
“University of Agnelli” in Beijing, the first professor is Prodi
The first holder of the chair will be Romano Prodi, former Prime Minister of Italy and great expert on diplomatic relations between Italy and China. A rotation is then envisaged in each of the two academic semesters, at the end of which “a person will be designated, to be chosen from among prestigious and brilliant teachers and experts, not necessarily only Italian, who know how to convey a vision of historical and contemporary Italian culture , analyzing the main determinants in fields ranging from humanistic and artistic disciplines to natural, social and applied sciences”.
The objectives of the Agnelli Chair in China
In short, the official objective of the Agnelli Chair consists in explain to the students of Peking University the contribution offered by Italy in various sectors: from art to scientific knowledge, from technology to economics. However, there are those who also speak of an unofficial objective of this initiative, to be found in the automotive field, or rather, in Stellantis’ strategies. The group, led by the CEO Carlos Tavares, he changed his tune on China. If, in fact, at first Tavares himself was among the supporters of those who wanted duties on cars made in China, today the Portuguese manager is explaining around that he and Stellantis are not afraid of China, and that indeed, they want to collaborate with the Dragon to improve the product.
Stellantis and Tavares’ change of direction on China
It is no coincidence that Stellantis, in October 2023, decided to invest around 1.5 billion euros in the Chinese giant Leap motorfor the acquisition of approximately 21% of its shares. The agreement also provided for the establishment of Leapmotor International, with exclusive rights to export and sell, as well as manufacture Leapmotor products outside of “Greater China”.
Stellantis thus began selling Leapmotor’s Chinese cars in Europe. Not only that: it seems that the Italian-French group has signed an agreement with the Dragon to strengthen the presence of Jeep and Alfa Romeo in China. According to Torino Cronaca, Elkann would have taken advantage of his journey in the shadow of the Forbidden City to outline the contours of a partnership with China Automobile Trade, so as to start a new phase of expansion of Stellantis by relying on two premium brands. In the hope that Chinese consumers will like them and that this move will bring economic benefits. Also because Stellantis and Leapmotor had to review their plans for the production of its new B10 electric SUV. The vehicle was initially supposed to be built in Tychy, Poland, but is now serving another European country. The reason? Simple: China has imposed tariffs of up to 45% on electric vehicles produced in European states that had previously voted in favor of tariffs on EVs made in China (including Poland).
