On April 17, the Roundtable for Swiss Enterprises was convened in Bern. The meeting was chaired by Vice Minister of Commerce and Deputy China International Trade Representative Ling Ji, with opening remarks delivered by Chinese Ambassador to Switzerland Qian Minjian. Representatives from 25 companies, including EMS, Ypsomed, UBS, Nestlé, Novartis, Glencore, and Sonova, as well as the Swiss-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, attended the event.

Ling Ji stated that the implementation of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan not only provides broad cooperation opportunities for multinational corporations investing in China but also injects stability and certainty into the volatile and complex global economy. He expressed hope that Swiss enterprises would combine their strengths in sectors such as biopharmaceuticals, high-end manufacturing, financial services, and R&D innovation with China’s complete and efficient industrial and supply chains, sound innovation ecosystem, and large talent pool to elevate the China-Switzerland innovative strategic partnership to new heights.

Participating business representatives said that amid severe disruptions to global industrial and supply chains caused by unilateralism and protectionism, China’s commitment to opening up and continuous improvement of its business environment has made its economy highly resilient and dynamic. Investing in China is essential for enterprises to enhance their global competitiveness, and strengthening cooperation with China has become a broad consensus within the Swiss business community.

During the meeting, the Chinese side addressed concerns raised by Swiss enterprises one by one, including government procurement, localized production of innovative pharmaceuticals, export controls, intellectual property protection, and industrial and supply chain security. (Released on April 18)