Swiss companies value China's growing talent pool, strong trade ties: SwissCham chair

Lucas Rondez, chairman of the Swiss Chinese Chamber of Commerce (SwissCham), has highlighted China's growing pool of talent as a key component of the complementary trade relations between China and Switzerland.

Since the two countries signed a Free Trade Agreement in 2014, bilateral trade relations have blossomed. On the sidelines of the eighth Sino-Swiss Economic Forum (SSEF) held in Beijing on Monday, Rondez said that the FTA has given more opportunities for Swiss companies to bring products to the Chinese market.

"Definitely, this free trade agreement increases a lot of trading between China and Switzerland. China has already become since 2010 the main export country for Switzerland in Asia, and the third globally, just after the U.S. and Europe. This trade agreement increases a lot of opportunities for Swiss companies to bring their products to the Chinese market, and vice versa. We have also seen a lot of Chinese companies getting more interested in the Swiss market, and I think that definitely this makes for a very good business environment between the two countries," said Rondez in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN).

The chairman said he expects new cooperation between businesses in high value-added industries from both sides.

"Switzerland and China have a very good way to make business because we complement each other. What we have in our expertise in Switzerland is high value technology that is also needed by the Chinese companies in the Chinese market. So, I think there's a very good combination between both. And of course, the Chinese market gives an opportunity for Swiss companies to scale the market, to scale their businesses. So, you mentioned a few industries, I think there are many industries that take advantage of these bilateral relations. Of course, we are good at the high-tech environment. We have very good companies in robotics, in machinery, in farming, in luxury [goods]. And I think there's really a lot of opportunities for all of these companies to have a good trading environment with China," he said.

Many Swiss companies have set up research and development (R and D) centers in China, reflecting the confidence that the Swiss business community has in China's high-quality talent cultivation, according to Rondez.

"Why Switzerland has always been quite important and quite successful in terms of innovation is due to the talents, because we have good universities and because we have a very strong pool of talents that can support this innovation. What is interesting is we see that in China in terms of talent, there's more and more. So that's the reason why we bring more R and D centers here in China. First of all, to better understand the market, but also to get access to a very strong and talented pool of people, which can keep developing our Swiss companies and Swiss technology as well with the specificity of the market or new technology that we can find here in this market," said the chamber head.

Swiss companies value China's growing talent pool, strong trade ties: SwissCham chair

The close ties between China and Kazakhstan today can be traced back to the friendly and smooth establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1992, with a former Kazakh official recalling the good "neighborly" relationship which was struck up between the two countries right from the start.

Toleutay Suleimenov, who served as Kazakhstan's first minister of foreign affairs, shared the story of how ties were initially formed with China in a recent interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN).

Suleimenov recalled the dawn of Kazakhstan's independence in the early 90s, saying that establishing diplomatic and economic relations with China was an important historical move for the Kazakh side.

"It was a difficult time, December 1991. It was a so-called parade of sovereignties. The Soviet Union had just collapsed, and we became an independent state. We were on our own, figuring out how to survive. We had no money in the treasury, and all our economic and trade ties were broken. And, of course, we looked around to see who we could establish diplomatic and economic relations with. We turned to our neighbors and chose the People's Republic of China. First, we share a long border of more than 2,000 kilometers. We had good neighborly relations and no conflicts. We declared independence on December 16th, and by January 3, 1992, the first Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs from China arrived. We held negotiations with him, discussed various aspects, and established diplomatic relations," he said.

Suleimenov said the process of establishing ties with China went smoothly, thanks largely to the friendly response of the Chinese government, with the two countries soon putting key agreements in place.

"There were hardly any difficulties. Our colleagues from China were very friendly. They welcomed our independence and sovereignty. They expressed a desire to build equal relations in politics, trade, economy, and cultural and humanitarian areas, which we found very appealing. From there, our interactions began and were very productive. I made the first official visit to China as a minister. We signed over 10 bilateral agreements covering economics, trade, cultural exchange, and politics. The Premier of the State Council of China welcomed us," he said.

Ties between the two countries are in the spotlight as President Xi Jinping arrived in Kazakhstan for a state visit on Tuesday, where he will attend the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

China, Kazakhstan enjoy "good neighborly relations" ever since establishing ties: former official