by Alessandra Cardone
ROME
Thomas Vanek Jersey , June 12 (Xinhua) -- An increasing number of Italians are following in Marco Polo's footsteps, choosing China as primary destination to look for a brighter future, new research said.
A study by the Migrantes Foundation was presented recently in Rome, and explored figures and profiles of the growing community of Italians who moved to China in recent years.
"The recent increase of migration from Italy toward China was influenced by a mix of factors," Giovanna Di Vincenzo, who ran the research with colleagues Fabio Marcelli and Maria Francesca Staiano, told Xinhua.
"A long economic crisis and high unemployment rates in Italy matched with the fact that China's status as leading country and strong global economy raised at international level. Thus
Jacob Markstrom Jersey , Italians among others started to think about China as a land where doing business or finding new opportunities might be easier," Di Vincenzo explained.
Although still moderate in numbers, the research showed the outflow is clearly on the rise: 3,500 Italians moved to China in 2013 alone, and a further 20 percent increase is expected in 2014.
Overall almost 7,000 Italian expatriates are officially living in China; it is not a large figure but still triple compared to 2006, researchers stressed.
