The emergence markets such as China, opens up new opportunities in the process of internationalization. For small and medium enterprises the international context is a challenge to be faced focusing on the mobilization and sharing of resources and market competences of other actors. This can be achieved by creating strategic relationships re-shaping the structure of the value chain, both within the country of origin market, and in foreign markets. These considerations have been investigated by a research that involved firms operating in and for the Chinese market. The results suggest managerial implications confirming an evolutionary model proposed for the analysis of firms’ behavior on foreign markets.
Keywords: Italian SMEs internationalization, China, supply chain, business relationships, empirical analysis

Elena Cedrola, Loretta Battaglia, Chiara Cantù, Alessandra Tzannis, Italy-China business relationships: which opportunities for Italian small and medium sized enterprises? in "MERCATI E COMPETITIVITÀ" 4/2010, pp. 45-64, DOI:10.3280/MC2010-004004