Beijing, June 17 - Vinitaly opened its China roadshow together with the Italian Trade Agency (ICE) in Beijing at the Hotel Conrad, just steps from the central neighbourhood of Sanlitun. A total of 50 companies presented 500 brands with a record programme of 800 B2B meetings with importers, buyers, and local distributors. "It's a really good start, the result of the extraordinary work of Vinitaly and ICE, which shared their databases to allow this incredible participation," said Giovanni Mantovani, director general of Veronafiere, which owns the Vinitaly brand. Mantovani told ANSA that the Far East will be an increasingly strategic area for Veronafiere's activities, with new initiatives in China and Japan. In the wine sector, the area is expected to become equal to that of North America.