The Province of Asti is situated in Piedmont, Northwest Italy. The province spans 1,504 square kilometers, and is home to about 210,000 inhabitants in 2021, with 117 communes. The Province of Asti is located in the upstream hilly valley of Tanaro River (a tributary of the Po River), 45 kilometers from Turin in the northwest, 120 kilometers from Milan in the northeast. On the first Sunday in the September every year, the Province of Asti holds the long-standing Horse Racing Festival, Food Festival, and National White Truffle Fair. The high-quality wine and food produced here are also world-renowned. The Province of Asti has an important geographical location, with developed industries and beautiful natural scenery, and it has cultivated numerous outstanding talents. During his visit to Italy in 2019, Chinese President Xi Jinping, together with Giuseppe Conte, former prime minister of Italy, witnessed the twinning between Langhe-Roero-Monferrato Vineyard Landscape in the region of Asti and the Rice Terraces of Honghe Hani in China, both being recognized as the World Cultural Heritages by the UNESCO. The economic structure of the Province of Asti is relatively in balance, with agriculture, manufacturing and service industries accounting for a similar proportion. In 2022, the province’s GDP was 6.5 billion euros. Its food & wine industry is particularly prominent since Asti is one of the largest wine-producing regions in Italy, renowned for outstanding quality of its wines in the world. Its wines are known for the standout sparkling wines Asti Spumante and Moscato d'Asti. The annual Golden Jug Wine Competition held in September is one of the most important wine events in Italy. The Province of Asti has rich cultural, artistic, historical and architectural heritage, as well as well-known traditional Piedmont ice cream and chocolate. Tourism is a significant industry here, thanks to medieval castles, churches, and majestic palaces that bear witness to historical changes of the Kingdom of Italy in this region. The Province of Asti features a college town, offering courses organized by the University of Turin, University of Eastern Piedmont Amedeo Avogadro, and Academy of Fine Arts of Cuneo. In 2020, the Consulate-General of the People’s Republic of China in Milano held a series of activities with the theme of “Asti Meeting China”. China-Italy “Belt and Road” Forum on Economic and Trade Cooperation was successfully held in the Province of Asti. These activities contributed to facilitating bilateral ties, and deepening cooperation between Italy and China. In 2023, the Province of Asti hosted the First Italy-China Cultural & Economic and Trade Forum. Italian dignitaries and scholars, as well as leaders in the economic and trade field from both countries, engaged in discussions and shared insights on Chinese modernization and rejuvenation. They praised China’s achievements in development. Maurizio Rasero, mayor and provincial governor of Asti, loves Chinese history and traditional folk culture, and recognizes the important value of establishing friendly relations with China. He had visited the Consulate-General of the People’s Republic of China in Milan for many times, and conducted fruitful visits to provinces and cities in China. In 2023, he visited 26 cities across seven provinces of China, and received 30 high-level delegations from China in Asti. Maurizio Rasero also actively promotes economic, trade and cultural exchanges between Asti and Chinese cities and supports the development of local overseas Chinese and China-invested enterprises in Asti.