Who we are
SwissCham China is the only Swiss chamber of commerce officially registered in China. The Swiss Chinese Chamber of Commerce Shanghai (SwissCham) is one regional part of the Swiss Chinese Chamber of Commerce China. It's purpose is to promote and support the global success of the Swiss business community in China. The Swiss Chinese Chamber of Commerce has moved into an era of dynamic growth and business-focused services to all of its members, building on the existing value proposition of business services and networking events. Besides, Switzerland is an icon for many institutions, organization and is a haven for several key industries, Worldwide. The Chamber has more than 250 members from all branches and industries and of all sizes.



What we do
Networks: Use our networks and network events!

• Regular events on focus issues, government lobbying events, business and culture visits and chamber social mixer events etc.;
• Access to government officials and representatives, local authorities, associations, media;
• Establish contacts and relationships with other foreign communities in China and access to business opportunities;

Services: Benefit from our services!

• Tackle specific issues in focused work committees;
• Raise your company profile within Swiss business community in Shanghai;
• Basic business advice for China Entry;
• Event consulting;
• Trade Fair support;

Products: Be informed!

• Use the Information offered by the quarterly Magazine "The Bridge";
• Find your business partner through our "Membership Directory" with over 2000 addresses and contacts;
• Find your perfect office in the center of Shanghai. We help to find the right landlord;

Advertisement: Advertise with us!

• Expose your company within the Chinese and Swiss community in our quarterly Magazine or in the Directory;
• Sponsor an event and have your Company exposed;
• Be an annual sponsor of the SwissCham Shanghai and get more advertising value than paid;
• Advertise on our Website;

Please do not hesitate to contact us for any questions and more information.

Swiss Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai
Room 1612, No.1388 Shaan Xi North Road
Regus Silver Center, Shanghai P.R.C 200060
Tel: + 86 21 6149 8208
Cell: +86 158 0038 7233
Fax: + 86 21 6149 8132
Email: info@sha.swisscham.org
www.swisscham.org/sha

SwissCham China is the only Swiss chamber of commerce officially registered in China with the Ministry of Civil Affairs under the Provisional Regulations for the Administration of Foreign Chambers of Commerce in China.
SwissCham China is a federative organization. It has no operational activities and mostly a representative and coordination role.
Local branches such as SwissCham Beijing are statutory known as Regional Organizations. Other Regional Organizations include SwissCham Shanghai and, since 2006, SwissCham Guangzhou.
Regional Organizations are represented by a Board of Directors which may delegate the Chamber's management to a Executive Director in charge of the Chamber's office.
SwissCham is governed by three sets of rules: two at the national level and one at the regional level. National rules include the National Articles of Association and the National Bylaws. The latter detail the former. Regional rules include the Regional Bylaws. It is accepted that in case of silence of the Regional Rules, the National Rules apply. Finally, the decisions by which the Regional BOD implement the Rules are recorded in Minutes of the BOD Meetings. They also form part of SwissCham Rules at large.
SwissCham China and its Regional Organizations call its members for a General Assembly once a year.

In China
Switzerland is represented in China by the Embassy of Switzerland in Beijing which reports to FDFA. Consular affairs are dealt with by the Consulates General of Switzerland in Shanghai, Gangzhou and Hong Kong which report to the Embassy.

OSEC operates in China with the Swiss Business Hub China (SBH). SBH has offices in Beijing , Shanghai and Guangzhou.

The Swiss trade promotion in China is also supported by the Swiss Center Shanghai (SCS) and the Sino Swiss Partnership Fund (SSPF).

The Swiss Center Shanghai (SCS), of which Switzerland is a shareholder, offers small offices and instant workshops with experts and interim managers for facilitating the market entry of Swiss companies in China.

The Sino Swiss Partnership Fund (SSPF) is a project financing facility jointly set up by the Swiss and the Chinese governments for Sino-Swiss joint ventures. It assists small and medium sized enterprises from Switzerland to invest in China.

In General
Numerous Swiss government bodies, as well as State-controlled and private organizations, including SwissCham, are involved in the promotion and support of Swiss exports and outbound investments.

On the governmental level, the implementation of the external trade policy is shared between the Federal Department (or ministry) of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), and the State Secretariat to the Economy (seco). seco (in lower case) is subordinated to the Federal Department (or ministry) of the Economic Affairs (FDEA). FDFA focuses on political aspects, whereas seco puts an emphasis on economic issues.

FDFA and seco also rely on two semi- private, State-controlled organizations, OSEC and SOFI.

Also known as Business Network Switzerland, the Swiss Office of Commercial Expansion (OSEC) is a non-profit organization mandated by the Swiss government to support Swiss companies abroad. It coordinates a network of 13 representative offices or " hubs" worldwide which deliver basic information, consulting and marketing services. OSEC is subordinated to seco. However, the eleven hubs hosted by an embassy or consulate are subordinated to FDFA.

The Swiss Organization for Facilitating Investments (SOFI) was created by seco to facilitate investments in countries with developing and transition economies. The Swiss government operates SOFI in collaboration with KPMG.

The implementation of the external trade policy is shared between EDA, seco and OSEC. seco is primarily responsible to the Federal Council, but operationally it is OSEC which is in charge, under the monitoring of seco. EDA, through its embassies and consulates, supports OSEC 's representations or "hubs" abroad.

The assessment, the coordination, the negotiation of treaties and the information related to the Swiss policy towards the European Union (EU) has been entrusted to a special Bureau, the Integration Bureau FDFA/FDEA, run jointly by FDFA and FDEA.

Private organizations mainly include the bilateral Swiss chambers of commerce, including SwissCham China. There are several other organizations involved to various degrees in the Swiss policy of external trade, all of which cannot be listed here.

Among the most important, it is worth mentioning the federation of the Swiss chambers of commerce representing specific fields of industry and services in Switzerland, Chambers of Commerce & Industry of Switzerland (CCIS), as well as economiesuisse, an influential lobbying organization representing the Swiss economy and regularly active on the Swiss external trade scene. economiesuisse is the largest umbrella organization representing the Swiss economy. Its members include trade and industry associations, cantonal chambers of commerce and individual companies.

The activity and the interaction among these numerous actors has been, upon request of the Parliament, recently assessed and criticized by the Federal Audit Office in a report on the federal policy of external trade.

It is also worth mentioning the State Guarantee Against Investment Risks (GRI) is operated by the Swiss Federation of Machine-Tool Industry (Swissmem) whereas the Guarantee Against Export Risks (formerly GRE) is run as from 2006 by the new Swiss Insurance Against Export Risks (ASRE). ASRE was also entrusted to Swissmem until ASRE's take over.

The development and co- operation policy of Switzerland has been entrusted to both the Swiss Agency for Development & Cooperation (DDC) and seco's Economic Cooperation to Development. In 2003, DDC 's budget was almost fivefold seco's.

The Government redefines regularly its external economic policy in a yearly report on Switzerland's external policy which constitutes guidelines for improving access by Swiss companies to foreign markets.

In its 2004 Report, the Government revealed a new strategy and described the objectives of the Swiss external economic policy. It outlined globalization and the increasing importance of services, finance and intellectual property, as well as the ever closer inter- dependence between the internal and external markets. Switzerland 's involvement in multilateral organizations, as well as its support to developing and under- developed countries, were reaffirmed, as they contribute to a stable external economic development.

The new Federal Act on Exports Promotion which entered into force in 2001 enables the government to sub- contract the promotion of Swiss external trade and was designed to support that strategy. Its implementation was assessed in the report of the Federal Auditor noted above.

In 2007 the Government published its latest report on Switzerland's foreign trade promotion policy for 2008-2011.