A new centre has opened in China to grant Swiss SMEs better access to the Chinese market. The Swiss SME Research Center China is supported by the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland FHNW. The FHNW was invited by the government of Heilongjiang province to open the centre in the framework of the free trade agreement signed between Switzerland and China. According to a press release, the 200 m2 centre offers Swiss small and medium-sized companies a platform to test the Chinese market for their products and services. Prof. Dr. Ruedi Nützi, FHNW Director and President of the Swiss SME Research Center China association, said that the centre will enable companies to call on a dense business network and important political relationships in seven Chinese provinces to create contacts and new business partners.