The Consulate General of Switzerland in Guangzhou hosted a reception to celebrate the Swiss National Day on August 2, 2022.
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The reception was attended by Luo Jun, Deputy Director General of the Guangdong Foreign Affairs Office, Philippe Praz, Consul General of Switzerland in Guangzhou, as well as nearly 100 guests from both home and abroad.
2022 marks the 100th anniversary of the presence of the Consulate General of Switzerland in Guangzhou. In recent years, the two-way trade between China and Switzerland maintained a strong momentum of growth. The bilateral trade in 2021 totaled 44.1 billion USD, two times the size of the 2020 trade volume.
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Luo noted that Guangdong highly values its friendly exchanges and practical cooperation with Switzerland, "Trade volume between Switzerland and Guangdong reached 8.2 billion USD in 2021, a year-on-year increase of 117%, among which Guangdong's import from Switzerland registered 6.79 billion USD, far exceeding its export to Switzerland."
"These figures not only speak volumes for the strong global competitiveness of high-quality Swiss watches, precision instruments, and other products but also underscore the vast size and immense potential of high-end consumer market in Guangdong," Luo added.
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Praz echoed that Guangdong is the largest trading province with Switzerland in volume.
"Due to China's vibrant economy, many Swiss companies have invested and set up branches in China. Today, there are nearly 800 Swiss companies represented in China and 150 of them are established in the province of Guangdong."
(Photo provided to Newsgd.com)
Besides the commercial aspects, Praz said the Consulate General also wishes to seek collaboration in the fields of science, technology and cultural exchanges.
He added that the Switzerland particularly desires to extend the collaborations with the innovation actors of the province of Guangdong.
Later this year, the Consulate General of Switzerland in Guangzhou plans to launch an exhibition in Shenzhen, featuring technologies developed in Switzerland and designed to meet the challenges of climate change.
Author: Monica, Ariel
Editor: Wing, Keane, Will, Jerry
