On June 19th, at a ceremony in Rome, Michele Geraci was sworn-in by Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte as Under-Secretary for Economic Development in the newly formed government, a rank below ministry.

Michele Geraci (Photo‍: CGTN) 

Actually, Michele Geraci has been an assistant professor of Finance at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) over the past five years, 

Michele, who also serves as UNNC's head of the China Economic Policy Programme was eager to share some credit with colleagues and students he has known during his time in China. “This is an exceptional achievement, especially for someone who lives in China, far away from the tricks of politics. But perhaps that’s why I was chosen.” 

In an interview with CGTN, Michele said, "We had a long history between Italy and China, we have growing trade, and my job here in Nottingham over the last few years in China has always been trying to help Italian political leaders, entrepreneurs and to help them understand what is going on in China in terms of development, China is doing well, what can we in Italy learn from China, in terms of economic development."