From Visibility to Mechanism: Reshaping the Logic of China–Europe Sustainable Cooperation

— An Introduction to the Istituto Italo-Cinese per le Relazioni Sostenibili (ICRS)

I. Why We Exist (Problem & Intention)

In the current global landscape of sustainable development, transnational cooperation is often reduced to technical deployment or financial aid, neglecting the critical importance of symbolic mechanisms and cultural interfaces in achieving institutional justice and structural balance. Particularly between China and Europe, local cities, small nations, and non-English-speaking actors have long remained at the margins of global narratives.

The Istituto Italo-Cinese per le Relazioni Sostenibili (ICRS) was founded precisely in response to this structural asymmetry. It is a nonprofit organization formally registered in France under the Association Loi 1901, operating across Italy, China, and other EU-affiliated regions.

We believe that sustainability must go beyond technological deployment—it must be culturally legible, socially perceptible, and structurally embedded. Anchored in four core dimensions—climate action, clean energy, urban culture, and gender equality—we strive to transform "symbolic visibility" into "institutional embedment."

II. What We Solve (Mechanism Innovation)

ICRS does not seek to implement one-off projects. Rather, it aims to build a long-term, structurally relevant platform of cooperation with institutional durability. We are not merely "amplifiers of voices"—we are "constructors of structure."

• We do not rely on short funding cycles, but build enduring partnerships through platform mechanisms;

• We do not engage in one-way outreach, but co-design two-way symbolic and governance pathways;

• We do not simply communicate issues, but institutionalize expression structures and representation seats within UN-aligned frameworks;

• We do not function as project executors, but as catalytic interfaces that activate cross-domain synergy.

III. Our Methodology (How We Work)

Our methodology integrates international mechanism alignment, cultural field-building, and structural expression tools. Our key modalities include:

• Registering official initiatives under the United Nations SDG platform to ensure systemic presence;

• Co-building "symbolic narrative zones" with local governments—such as city-to-city cultural revivals, energy-city interfaces, and public brand articulation;

• Designing female expression mechanisms that create structural entry points for women in sustainable governance systems.