Local and transnational relations of Prato’s Chinese enterprises, and their contribution to the province’s economy

The present volume continues the close examination of the socio-economic conditions and main characteristics of the Chinese community now steadily living and working in the Prato district. The attention is shifted to the system of relations, mainly but not solely economic, that links the Chinese community on one side to native inhabitants and entrepreneurs, and on the other to those of the country of origin, specifically from Wenzhou (Zhejiang Province), a city where is present a well-established, export-oriented clothing industry’s cluster. In the district literature, the local and international spheres of relations – where the first is intended as trust among economic agents and the second as openness to international markets – are considered important factors of local development. The evolution of the two territorial scales at which socio-economic integration occurs is analyzed with the aim of highlighting tendencies, possible risks and opportunities, and drawing from them some useful policy indications. One question is whether the settlement of a considerable foreign community, not always well integrated with the native population, can favour the creation of those trust relationships that have always constituted a key factor of success for the Prato district. And also, which are the expectations – and consequently the role – regarding the second-generation Chinese in promoting a higher level of integration? What about economic integration, measurable through accounting matrixes, is it much higher than the social integration averagely perceived? And how does the evolution of international relations change the local economy’s perspectives, considering that in the past they concerned only the export of finished goods, whereas today they are enhanced by import flows of semi-finished and finished goods? These are the questions that this study seeks to answer, using direct investigations and analyzing socio-economic data.