Sino-Swiss Economic Forum 2014

Name: Sino-Swiss Economic Forum 2014
Start: 2014-07-01T14:00:00+00:00
End: 2014-07-01T21:00:00+00:00
Location: Grand Hyatt Beijing

July 1, 2014 @ 2:00 pm - 9:00 pm

SUMMARY SINO-SWISS ECONOMIC FORUM 1 JULY 2014

The Sino-Swiss Free Trade Agreement

A comprehensive bilateral FTA between the Swiss Confederation and the People’s Republic of China was signed by Federal Councillor Mr. Johann N. Schneider-Ammann and the Chinese Minister of Commerce Mr. Gao Hucheng on 6 July 2013. The comprehensive FTA will establish preferential relations for trade in goods and services between China and Switzerland, facilitating two-way trade and enhancing competitiveness of both economies. The agreement will also strengthen legal certainty for economic exchange, promote bilateral cooperation between Switzerland and China and contribute to sustainable development.

More than that, it is also a symbol of the excellent bilateral relations between the two countries.

The Sino-Swiss Economic Forum

On 1 July 2014 the State Secretary for Economic Affairs, Mrs. Marie-Gabrielle Ineichen-Fleisch, paid an official visit to China in view of the entry into force of the agreement. Besides official meetings with the Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Commerce (MofCom) in Beijing, she inaugurated the high level Sino-Swiss Economic Forum (SSEF). The Forum was jointly organized by the Swiss-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and the Swiss Embassy including its Sections for Economy, Trade, Science and Technology, the Swiss Business Hub and swissnex Shanghai in partnership with Cleantech Switzerland and the Investment Promotion Agency of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce. The half-day Forum brought together high-level representatives from the Sino-Swiss business community, Government officials and Academia to explore the new opportunities the agreement will bring in strengthening bilateral economic exchange. The Forum was covered by media and followed by a Gala dinner which will mark the highlight of the year for the Swiss business community in China.

TOPICS

The overall topic – FTA: A New Chapter in Sino-Swiss Relations – explored why Switzerland and China have chosen to sign the FTA. In focusing on the “Why”, the Forum underlined the key strengths complementing both the Swiss and Chinese economic systems such as Quality, Innovation, Competitiveness and Sustainability. Each of those four overarching themes covered two panels, ranging from Intellectual Property, Investments in Switzerland and China, Food Safety, R&D, Urbanization to Innovation. The panels demonstrated how the FTA will enhance future cooperation between Switzerland and China in order to foster sustainable growth. The panels were composed of Swiss and Chinese eminent figures from business, academia and government.

FORMAT

Sino-Swiss Economic Forum 2014

8 panels, 4 themes:	Quality, Innovation, Competitiveness, Sustainability
Duration:	60 minutes incl. 15 minutes Q&A
Speakers:	4 panelists, 1 moderator
Audience:	Approximately 300 people for the Opening Plenary, 60-70 people per panel, mainly business leaders from China and Switzerland
Location:	Grand Hyatt Beijing
Date:	1 July 2014, 14:00-18:30
Gala Dinner:	19:30-21:00