2022 marks the 100th anniversary of the Swiss Consulate's Presence in Guangzhou (1922-2022). As China's COVID-19 prevention and control policies have been optimized, Jürg Burri, Swiss Ambassador to China, said the consulate is currently dedicating their energy mostly to reestablishing people-to-people cooperation between the two countries.
He also emphasized the newest areas of Sino-Swiss cooperation that can be expanded in the future "is definitely in the finance sector".
The Sino-Swiss cooperation in financial field should go on both ways
"We have a strong cooperation in the finance sector," Jürg Burri shared with GDToday. Over the past 20 years, Guangdong-Switzerland collaboration has been flourishing on financial front. UBS, SwissRe and other financial institutions have thriving business in Guangdong. The Guangdong-Zurich Finance Round-table Meeting, a constructive platform in coordinating financial engagement between the two places, has been held successfully for four consecutive years.
In July 2022, the stock exchange markets in China and Switzerland has been officially connected, opening a new chapter in Sino-Swiss capital market cooperation.
"So we have now more than 8 Chinese companies listed on the Zurich Stock Exchange, and more than 30 Chinese companies waiting to be listed on it."
From Jürg Burri's perspective, this kind of cooperation should go on both ways. He expected that one day, Swiss companies will be listed on the Shanghai or on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.
"That is definitely a new element." he added.
Guangdong and Swiss companies share common interests in medical industry
The cooperation in medical technology and medical production are also highlighted by the ambassador.
"I had a visit to the Guangdong Medical Valley. Because actually Switzerland is a home for med tech. It is a very innovative country and focuses on pharmaceuticals and medicine. The Chinese startups, which are in Guangdong Medical Valley, are actually interested in doing more business with Switzerland and maybe even going to Switzerland. And therefore, it was very fruitful for us to brief them and to see where the common interest is," Jürg Burri said.
On January 17, Jürg Burri and Philippe Praz, Consul General of Switzerland in Guangzhou, visited the Nansha No.1 Park of Guangdong Medical Valley. They expressed their expectation to form long-term strategic cooperation and introduce advanced technologies and quality projects.
In addition, Jürg Burri also mentioned that the Swiss Consulate General is currently dedicating their energy mostly to reestablishing the people-to-people cooperation between the two countries after China optimized its Covid-19 response measures.
"Now the CEOs of the Swiss companies, they are coming back to China. They're meeting their Chinese counterparts again. They're talking and discussing ideas, which bring the creativity into business relations."
According to Jürg Burri, officials of Guangzhou government will visit Switzerland soon.
Reporter: Monica, Ariel
Video: Zoey
Editor: Wing, Nan
