The various group from the University of Basel spend two weeks in Shanghai for intensive language classes, where they also paid a visit to swissnex China on 21, August, 2014.

After an introduction about the mission and activities of swissnex China, they received a presentation on working in China by the Swiss Attorney-at-Law Denis F. Berger. Based in Shanghai for already three years, he could give the students valuable insights in cultural differences he experiences in his professional everyday life. Humorous anecdotes about funny and sometimes also frustrating incidents, experienced also by the Swiss swissnex staff, triggered many questions on the side of the students and lead to a very lively exchange.

The following day the group had the possibility to visit the Swiss Center Shanghai, a Sino-Swiss private-public partnership and the by far largest cluster of Swiss enterprises in China. After an very informative presentation about the center’s activities and services to SMEs, which intend to, or already entered the Chinese market, the students also learned about challenges and opportunities of the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone, where the Center recently moved to. Afterwards the students could visit the showroom of GF Machining Solutions, a Swiss EDM (electrical discharge machining) machine-tool manufacturer. The students had so many questions, that there was at the end not enough time to visit the other planned showrooms.

We wish the dynamic students a great stay in China and hope they did not only get a comprehensive picture about living in Shanghai, but also want to come back one day to work and live in China.

- Contributed by Isabel Bolliger, Academic Intern