GBA an excellent opportunity for Guangdong-Zurich cooperation: Government Councillor

2019-May-30       Source: Newsgd.com

This year marks the 5th anniversary of the sister relationship between Guangdong Province and the Canton of Zurich in Switzerland. Ernst Stocker, Government Councillor of the Canton of Zurich, led a d

Ernst Stocker, Government Councillor of the Canton of Zurich, talked about his opinion on Zurich-Guangdong cooperation. (Photo by Zhang Chenping)

This year marks the 5th anniversary of the sister relationship between Guangdong Province and the Canton of Zurich in Switzerland. Ernst Stocker, Government Councillor of the Canton of Zurich, led a delegation to Guangdong, to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the sister relationship between the two regions.

It was Stocker himself who signed the agreement with Guangdong Province to establish the sister relationship five years ago.

“I’m so impressed by Guangdong’s rapid development over the past five years, especially in terms of finance, new science and technology. I think closer cooperation with each other will lead to positive results for both parties, ” said Stocker in an exclusive interview with Nanfang Daily and Newsgd.com.


Ernst Stocker addressed at the ceremony of celebrating the 5th anniversary of the sister relationship between Canton of Zurich and Guangdong. (Source: the Foreign Affairs Office of the People's Government of Guangdong Province )

Guangdong’s business environment

During the interview, Stocker recalled his last visit to Guangdong. “It was in April, and Zurich was still snowy whereas it was already very hot in Guangdong. I had to buy a short-sleeved shirt immediately after I landed!”

When talking about Guangdong’s business environment, Stocker cited a Swiss proverb that says, “only if the soil in the garden is well cultivated, can the plants grow well”. In his eyes, Guangdong’s policies to optimize the business environment are exactly the right kind of fertile “soil”.

Stocker speaks highly of policies that Guangdong government has implemented over recent years, including the Ten Policies and Measures for Foreign Investment. He believed that more foreign investors will be inspired to come to Guangdong.

Cooperation on financial side of GBA development

Stocker said of the Greater Bay Area that he believes it to be of great potential, and that it will bring broadly positive impacts to the whole region, and is also an excellent opportunity for further cooperation between Zurich and Guangdong.

During Stocker’s most recent visit, Guangdong Province and the Canton of Zurich jointly hosted a financial round-table, inviting representatives of financial institutes from both countries including UBS, Credit Suisse, CCB and Ping’an Group to discuss the possibilities of future cooperation in terms of cross-border RMB transactions, financial connectivity in the Greater Bay Area, development of fin-tech and insurance.

Zurich is famous for its advanced financial sector, and Stocker is convinced that they can be deeply involved with the development of the GBA. Zurich can help the GBA develop a regional financial market and introduce long-term foreign investors to assist in the construction of GBA infrastructure.


Natural scenes in Zurich. (file photo from Xinhua)

Enhance people-to-people connectivity

When asked about his impressions of Guangdong this time, Stocker quickly responded with these three words “future”, “capacity” and “hospitality”. He insisted that the bilateral cooperation between the two places should continue to include people-to-people connectivity.

Stocker is fascinated with Cantonese food and music. This time he made sure to spare some time to taste traditional Dim Sum, and he was greatly impressed by Lingnan music, particularly the Erhu, an ancient two-stringed instrument.

Finally Stocker said that the two places should enhance cooperation in education and talent recruitment. He praised Guangdong youths for being eager to learn, calling them ‘incredibly capable students, who are willing to go all out in pursuit of their goals.’

Reported by Hu Nan, Gong Chunhui, Hu Liangguang and Zhang Chenping

Edited by Olivia Ouyang and Simon Haywood

Editor: Nan

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