China’s president drops in on tannery
07/07/2009
President Hu Jintao of China included a visit to the Ausonia tannery in the Santa Croce leather-producing cluster in Tuscany on July 7 as part of a tour of Italy in the build-up to the G8 meeting in L’Aquila from July 8–10.
Founded in 1946, the Ausonia tannery specialises in the vegetable-tanning methods that Santa Croce sull’Arno is famous for. Its principal products are butt, shoulder and side leathers for bags, belts, other leathergoods and some furniture upholstery. It has three production sites in and around Santa Croce.
During his visit to Italy, President Hu said his country and Italy needed to provide more support for the development of small- and medium-sized enterprises, for example by making it easier for them to gain access to funding and insurance. He said China was opposed to protectionism and welcomed Italian imports that suit the needs of the Chinese market. “We are pursuing balanced development,” he said.
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