Successful Launch of the “Café des Sciences” Event Series with Deep Insights into Shadow Banking

By Sacha Pantillon and Victor Dietrich, Junior Project Managers

On January 23, swissnex China, in collaboration with the HEC Lausanne, organized an event focused on “Shadow Banking in China”. It was also the launch of our new “Café des Sciences” event series, which is scheduled to take place every third Thursday each month at swissnex China or our partner spaces and offering a monthly platform for spotlight scientists and startups.

First, we had a brief opening speech by Dr. Felix Moesner, Science Consul and CEO of swissnex China, which was followed by a short introduction to the presentation’s topic by Victor Dietrich, HEC Lausanne Ambassador and Junior Project Manager at swissnex China.

Opening speech by Dr. Felix Moesner, Science Consul & CEO, swissnex China

Victor Dietrich, HEC Lausanne Ambassador and Junior Project Manager at swissnex China

Victor Dietrich consequently gave the floor to the speaker Prof. Ying Liu, Assistant Professor at the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics and an esteemed graduate of HEC Lausanne – The Faculty of Business and Economics of the University of Lausanne, where she obtained her PhD.

Prof. Ying Liu recounts her time at HEC Lausanne.

Prof. Ying Liu discussed the Shadow Banking System in China

She gave an insightful presentation on the Shadow Banking System in China and provided an overview of activities related to credit intermediation, liquidity and maturity transformation that takes place outside the regular banking system. She also presented the reasons for the fast growth and associated risks.

She illustrated the differences it has with traditional banking, the advantages and the drawbacks of this practice, as well as the differences in this practice between China and the world. 16% of the whole world's shadow banking come from China even though it is a decreasing slightly as the government wants to regulate and control a bit more this domain. We had then a deeper look at entrusted loans, a major part of shadow banking in China. Entrusted loans are the inter-corporate lending facilitated by financial companies as trustee. Finally, we explored into products such as Asset Management Products in depth and more specifically Wealth Management products.

Prof. Ying Liu illustrated the differences between shadow banking and traditional banking.

The participants made meaningful connections around finger food and drinks after the presentation.

This talk generated a great interest both abroad, where a lot of people were keen to have more information on the topic and in Shanghai were participants posed many questions during the presentation, generating some very dynamic dialogue.

Finally, we pursued the discussions and made meaningful connections around drinks and finger food served in a very professional manner by Geneva Catering. The participants expressed positive feedbacks and are excited to attend the next event at swissnex China.

Thank you to all attendees for their participation.

We thank all the attendees for joining the first “Café des Sciences”, the HEC Lausanne for co-organizing this event, Geneva Catering for providing the excellent food and of course Prof. Ying Liu for sharing her research in this presentation who made this event an excellent Alumni gathering for the University of Lausanne - UNIL. We are looking forward to collaborating with all these partners again in the future.

From left to right: Dr. Felix Moesner, Prof. Dr. Ying Liu and Victor Dietrich

Final Evaluation and Acceptance meeting Research Cooperation between ECUT and SUPSI

By Stone Bodong Shi, Manager Sino-swissnex Center Guangdong

Final Evaluation and Acceptance meeting Research Cooperation between ECUT and SUPSI  

Mass-Spectrometry (MS) is an effective measure to determine the harmful contaminations. However, the commercially available MS is not efficient and easy to use, due to the complicated pre-treatment process and post-analytical process. East China University of Technology (ECUT) — strong in pre-treatment process and post-analytical process, with partnership of University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI) —  good at electronic and precision manufacturing, applied for International cooperation project of Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China, and got approved, Project No. 2015DFA40290 "Research on the mass production technology and manufacturing technique for key components to the mass spectrometry instrumentation". SUPSI delivered reports of MANUFACTURING PROCESS TECHNOLOGY and MEASUREMENT PROCESS TECHNOLOGY for 7 typical mechanical parts, and a training program.

Assessors listen to the report of the project

评审专家听取项目报告

Assessors and Project team members group photos

评审专家与项目组成员合照

After 3 years research and development, ECUT and SUPSI have developed a serial process for manufacturing and measuring technologies for key components of the mass spectrometry instrumentation. On Dec 26th, 2018, on behalf of Ministry of Science and Technology of China, Department Science and Technology of Jiangxi Province organized the Final Evaluation and Acceptance meeting of “Research on the mass production technology and manufacturing technique for key components to the mass spectrometry instrumentation". Seven specialists from different research institutes agreed the project have reached the defined objectives and they gave high evaluation and accepted the results.

key components of the mass spectrometry iron source

质谱仪器离子源关键部件示意图

Vision-based measurement of diameters

基于视觉的直径检测

东华理工大学与瑞士南方应用科技大学（SUPSI）国际合作“质谱仪器关键部件量产技术与工艺研究”项目结题验收会

质谱是检测有害污染物的有效手段。然而，由于复杂的前处理过程和后分析过程，一般商用质谱仪器不易使用。东华理工大学拥有前处理工艺和后分析工艺专长，与擅长电子和精密制造瑞士南方应用科学与艺术大学合作申请中国科技部国际合作项目“质谱仪关键部件的大规模生产技术和制造技术研究”（项目号：2015DFA40290）。SUPSI为7个典型机械零件提供了制造工艺技术和测量工艺技术报告，并提供了培训项目。

经过3年的研究和开发，东华理工大学和瑞士南方应用科学与艺术大学已开发出一系列用于质谱仪关键部件的制造和测量技术。2018年12月26日，受中国科技部委托，江西省科技厅组织召开了“质谱仪器关键部件量产技术与制造技术研究”的最终评审和验收会议。来自不同研究所的七位专家一致认为，该项目达到了既定目标，并给予了很高的评价和认可。

From Paris to Hong Kong by Bike: ETH Zurich Alumnus Basile Verhulst and the Story of his 18’000 km Journey

by Sacha Pantillon, Assistant Project Manager

On December 14, an ETH Zurich and EPFL Alumni gathering took place in the office of swissnex China which was organized by the ETH Zurich and EPFL Alumni Shanghai Chapters.

The topic of the event was “From Paris to Hong Kong by Bike”. Basile Verhulst shared the story of his 16-months and 18’000 km long bicycle journey from Paris to Hong Kong. The event started around 7pm with an opening speech delivered Zhang Xi (Head of the ETH Zurich Alumni Shanghai Chapter) and after that Basile held his presentation.

At the beginning, Basile did a small presentation about himself and how the idea was born. He then shared with us all the steps that he did for the preparation of the journey (for example: he bought a bike on ebay and several bike bags). He also showed us very interesting photos with all the things than he brought along for his trip, which was very little.

Next, he presented a very fascinating picture showing the countries he travelled through in different colors. This map was representing how difficult it is to be invited to the houses of local people. According to Basile, this is more difficult in Europe and the easiest places to be invited to people’s homes are the Middle-East and the West of Asia.

During his presentation, Basile told us some stories about the native people in different countries, about their culture, their language, and some funny facts. He mentioned that his two biggest problems during the trip were to find a place where he can put up his tent and to obtain the visas for the different countries. Finally, there was a Q&A session and a nice networking part with food provided by Geneva Catering.

A big thank you to Basil Verhulst for the presentation and his presence, to the ETH Zurich and EPFL Alumni Shanghai Chapters and also to everyone who joined the event! 

If you would like to know more about Basile’s journey, you can check out his website: http://crossingvalleys.com/

swissnex China receives Executive Visiting Delegation from IDHEAP

By Libing Gu, Project Leader Academic Relations

On October 22, we warmly received an Executive Visiting Delegation from IDHEAP, the Swiss Graduate School of Public Administration, at the swissnex China offices.

Dr. Felix Moesner, Science Consul and CEO of swissnex China, gave them an insightful presentation on the mission of swissnex China as well as the scenario of higher education, research and innovation in China.

Dr. Felix Moesner warmly received the delegation from IDHEAP and presented the swissnex China mission.

During the Q&A session, the participants were keen to know more about how swissnex China operates successfully based on the public-private partnership model. Additionally, they posed many questions regarding the “One Belt One Road” initiative and e-government development in China.

Mr. Olivier Zehnder, Consul General of Switzerland in Shanghai introduced to the group the Sino-Swiss relations and Swiss presence in China and Shanghai.

IDHEAP (the Swiss Graduate School of Public Administration) is founded in 1981 and became part of Faculty of Law, Criminal Sciences and Public Administration of University of Lausanne in 2014. The Executive Visiting Delegation is composed of 32 students working at public universities or administration. The main goal of their visit is to have a better understanding of what constitutes the modern public administration and innovation in China.

swissnex China wishes them a rewarding and fulfilling trip in China and looks forward to welcoming them again in the near future!

Swiss French-Speaking Alumni Event at the Confucius Institute in the University of Geneva

Contributed by Mr. Basile Zimmermann from the Confucius Institute in Geneva

On the evening of August 28, 2018, in a beautiful 19th century house nearby Lake Geneva, the Confucius Institute at the University of Geneva hosted the fourth meeting of the Swiss French-speaking alumni in China. More than 30 alumni participated in this event to discuss their memories of China and share their experiences of the present day.

The Director of the Confucius Institute, Dr. Basile Zimmermann, welcomed the guests. He expressed his joy to have such an opportunity for the alumni to exchange with each other.

The Director of the Confucius Institute, Dr. Basile Zimmermann, welcomed the guests. He expressed his joy to have such an opportunity for the alumni to exchange with each other.

Gérald Béroud, President of the French-speaking section of the Swiss-Chinese Association,discussed the strengthening of the relations between the two countries and expressed his hopes that everyone would contribute in taking them to the next level.

Béatrice Ferrari, Head of Bilateral Relations at the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation, presented the activities of swissnex China, with a special focus on science and technology cooperation as well as scientific diplomacy.

Later on, Dr. Marc Laperrouza gave a detailed presentation of the "China Hardware Innovation Camp" at EPFL, which he had started in 2015 together with Pascal Marmier, who had the original idea. Composed of students with business, design, and engineering background, the program is highly interdisciplinary. Students are organized in groups and work on designing their own connected device, then they all go to China to manufacture it. Every year, Marc Laperrouzza travels with the participants, and he attempts to help them better understand the country. To this day, products that have been designed include for instance a smart milk bottle, a smart lunch box, a device for long-distance communication for the elderly, or a device to measure the quality of water, etc. Marc also takes the students to visit a big Chinese enterprise. He discussed the challenge of providing a few weeks of experience and understanding to students who most often don't know much about contemporary China. Dr. Laperrouzza's presentation lasted more than one hour, and everyone was quite excited to learn about such a successful and innovative way of working with China.

Later on, everybody had dinner together, and the participants continued the discussions on the lakeside.

The alumni agreed that this kind of gathering not only reinforces their relations with China, but also promotes further collaboration of all kinds and gives positive energy.

This event was organized thanks to the support of the French-speaking section of the Swiss-Chinese Association, the Chinese Embassy in Bern, swissnex China, the Department of East Asian studies and the alumni association at the University of Geneva, as well as the alumni association at the University of Lausanne.

日内瓦大学孔子学院举办瑞士法语区留华校友联谊活动

当地时间8月28日晚，日内瓦大学孔子学院在秋风送爽的莱蒙湖畔举办第四届瑞士法语区留华校友联谊活动。30多名曾经在中国留学的瑞士友人参加了活动，共叙彼此记忆中的留华岁月，分享如今中国和各自生活的关联以及对中国的感受。

孔子学院外方院长金亦然 (Basile Zimmermann) 博士首先致欢迎辞。他非常高兴每年能提供机会让留华校友们在一起交流磋商，回忆过去，畅想未来。

瑞中协会法语区分会会长白鹄 (Gérald Béroud) 先生则强调瑞士与中国各界的交往越来越频繁，他希望在坐的各位能为中瑞的进一步交流做出贡献。

瑞士联邦政府科技文化中心的代表彼阿特丽丝·法拉利（Béatrice Ferrari）女士也介绍了瑞士联邦政府科技文化中心中国分部的主要活动，特别是在科学技术方面的双边合作，其宗旨是“为科学服务的外交”。

为了让来宾们了解中国现今的科技文化和创新创业活动，孔院特意邀请洛桑联邦理工学院讲师和研究员、“中国硬件创新训练营”联合创始人马克.拉珀劳扎（Marc Laperrouzza）先生介绍该训练营和中国的创客群体的合作情况。洛桑联邦理工学院的“中国硬件创新训练营”创建于2015年，营员由来自工程、设计、商业等不同学科背景的学生组成，他们以团队形式将好的设计理念变成App或产品雏形。每年，拉珀劳扎先生都会带领营员们带着这些产品的雏形去中国，与中国的创客团队合作生产这些产品。目前，已经成功生产的产品包括智能奶瓶、智能饭盒、面向老人群体的远程沟通装置、测试水源清洁度的产品，等等。此外，他还带领学生参观了一些大型的中国企业。他详细介绍了多年来他如何为洛桑几所高校不同专业的学生开发并组织“中国硬件创新训练营”独特的课程与活动，特别是如何让对中国一无所知的学生在短短的几周内感受、体验、了解中国的国情与当地的真实生活。拉珀劳扎先生为时一个多小时的精彩发言扣人心弦，为大家展示了跟中国合作的多种多样的可能性与广阔的前景。

最后，所有朋友共进晚餐，在友好热烈的气氛中继续交流。大家都认为这样的活动不仅加强了他们跟中国的联系，而且能够推动他们将来跟中国的合作。

此外，他们彼此分享的中国经验也正以良性辐射的方式惠及着他们周围的群体。活动受到了校友们的热烈欢迎。

此次活动获得了中国驻瑞士大使馆、瑞中协会法语区分会、瑞士联邦政府科技文化中心、日内瓦大学东亚学系、日内瓦大学校友会以及洛桑大学校友会的支持。

swissnex China receives delegation of ZHAW School of Engineering

By Libing Gu, Project Leader Academic Relations

On October 15th, swissnex China had the pleasure of welcoming 19 students from School of Engineering of ZHAW (Zurich University of Applied Sciences).

Dr. Felix Moesner, CEO swissnex China opened the session with his presentation on the mission and activities of swissnex China over the past ten years and introduced the settings of higher education, research and innovation in China.

Guest speaker Dr. Annette Metz, Chief Representative China and Southeast Asia of Conben Consulting, gave a lecture on “How to reach organizational health in Chinese VUCA environment”, during which she presented to the group her HR experience in intercultural co-working and team-building in China.

Quentin Gigon, Junior Project Manager Innovation & Entrepreneurship swissnex China gave a presentation on the innovation landscape in China with interesting case studies and challenging insights.

In the Q&A sessions, the audience posed numerous questions regarding the opportunities and challenges of Chinese market entry for Swiss enterprises. 

swissnex China wishes them a fruitful trip in China and looks forward to welcoming them again in the near future!

Sino-Swiss Talk Higher Vocational Education Forum

By Libing Gu, Project Leader Academic Relations

On October 13th, swissnex China co-organized the Sino-Swiss Talk Higher Vocational Education Forum with SORSA (Shanghai Overseas Returned Scholars Association) – Swiss Chapter. The event saw an active participation of Swiss alumni, including Madame WU Qidi, former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Education of China, as well as institutions and companies in the vocational education industry. 

Dr. Felix Moesner, Science Consul and CEO of swissnex China, gave an insightful presentation on the higher vocational education system in Switzerland, illustrating to the audience the key features and strengths of Swiss vocational education and professional training. He explained that its flexible access, close correlation with the labour market and the strong support it receives from both government and industry makes it the most popular educational option in Switzerland. Dr. Moesner also later joined the panel together with Madame WU Qidi and representatives from Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne and Schindler Group.

Dr. Felix Moesner gave an insightful presentation on the higher vocational education system in Switzerland to the audience.

The forum was opened by the welcome addresses of Prof. Xuejin ZUO, Executive Vice President of SORSA, Mr. Olivier Zehnder, Consul General of Switzerland in Shanghai and Prof. Changmin SUN, Chairman of SORSA Swiss Chapter.

The event attracted many Swiss alumni, institutions and companies in the vocational education industry.

Mr. Guanlu FENG, Director China of Lausanne Hospitality Consulting Group, Mr. Weiquan PANG, Vice President of Yangzhou Sino-Swiss Hospitality Vocational Institute, Zhihong LI, Vocational Education Expert of Schindler Group then shared their major achievements as well as the main difficulties and challenges throughout their development in China.

The keynote speakers joined afterwards in a lively panel discussion together with Mrs. Qidi Wu, Honorary President of SORSA and former Vice Minister of Education in China. They exchanged insights about the difference between Chinese and Swiss vocational education system and suggestions about measures to be taken in order to promote the cooperation.

Panel Discussion: panelists (seated from left to right) Mr. Zhihong LI, Vocational Education Expert Schindler Group, Mrs. Qidi WU, Honorary President of SORSA, Dr. Felix Moesner, CEO of swissnex China, Mr. Guanlu FENG, Director China of LHC Group, Mr. Weiquan PANG, Vice President of Yangzhou Sino-Swiss Hospitality Vocational Institute.

Group picture with Mrs. Qidi WU, Honorary President of SORSA.

University of Zurich and Shanghai Jiao Tong University sign Exchange Agreement at swissnex China

Michael Hengartner, President of UZH, and Lin Zhongqin, President of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), sign a new exchange agreement. The signing ceremony was attended by Swiss education minister Johann Schneider-Ammann.

On the occasion of the visit of Swiss Federal Councillor Johann N. Schneider-Ammann  (Minister for Economic Affairs, Education and Research) and his high-profile business and science delegation, swissnex China held a Press Briefing with local and Swiss media on September 7 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of swissnex China.

As a testament to swissnex China's capability of connecting educational institutions of the highest level, the briefing also brought together the University of Zurich and Shanghai Jiao Tong University for an exchange agreement signing ceremony, which was inaugurated by Prof. Dr. Michael Hengartner, president of the University of Zurich, and Prof. Dr. Zhongqin Lin, president of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, under the auspices of the Federal Councillor Johann Schneider-Ammann. This signing was also attended by members of the UZH Alumni China Chapter. The exchange program will enable Bachelor's, Master's, PhD students as well as faculty members to benefit from an international experience by studying or working abroad at the partner institution.

swissnex China warmly receives delegation from SKU Advanced Management Program

September 19, 2018

By Xu Yuzhuo, Junior Project Leader Academic Relations

On Sep 17, 22 students from St. Gallen SKU Advanced Management program visited swissnex China.

Ms. Rahel Gruber, Operations Manager and Mr. Danli Zhou, Communications Manager from swissnex China warmly welcomed the delegation, introduced the mission of swissnex in China, as well as activities in the past decade in connecting the dots between Switzerland and China in the fields of education, research and innovation.

Mr. Erwin Lüthi, Deputy Consul General of Switzerland in Shanghai, gave his presentation in German concerning about Sino-Swiss relations and Swiss presence in the Yangtze River Delta to the students. The insightful briefing was followed by a dynamic Q & A session.

SKU was founded in 1953 as the association ”Schweizer Kurse für Unternehmensführung ” (Swiss Programs in Management) by the heads of three Swiss institutes of high academic repute: the Institute of Management of University of St. Gallen HSG, the Swiss Foundation for Applied Psychology SSAP, and the Center for Enterprise Science of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich ETH. SKU Advanced Management program is built for profit center managers at medium-sized companies and heads of smaller companies who are looking to expand their management competencies.

Their trip in China continues after the visit to swissnex China and we wish them a pleasant time!

swissnex China shares insights into Chinese innovation landscape with Executive MBA students from the University of St. Gallen

By Xu Yuzhuo, Junior Project Leader Academic Relations

On Sept 11, swissnex China had the pleasure of welcoming 37 EMBA students from the University of St. Gallen.

The delegation hoped to gain from their briefing at swissnex China a comprehensive understanding of the cultural dimensions of business collaborations between Switzerland and China, especially in the context of innovation and management practices. Many of the EMBA students were eager to bear direct witness to the fast-paced digital transformations that is currently taking place in China.

Mr. Erwin Lüthi, Deputy Consul General of Switzerland in Shanghai, opened the session with his presentation on Sino-Swiss relations and Swiss presence in the Yangtze River Delta to the students. He also shared his special insights on the latest trends and developments in China on a governmental policy level.

Mr. Erwin Lüthi gave his insights on Sino-Swiss relations and Swiss presence in the Yangtze River Delta.

Following Mr. Lüthi’s presentation, Ms. Rahel Gruber, Operations Manager and Mr. Danli Zhou, Communications Manager from swissnex China introduced the mission of the ‘Science Consulate of Switzerland in China’, as well as activities in the past ten years in connecting the dots between Switzerland and China in the fields of education, research and innovation. The audience were particularly intrigued by the sheer scale of digitalization occurring in China, and posed a number of questions regarding the opportunities and challenges of Chinese market entry for Swiss enterprises.

Ms. Rahel Gruber and Mr. Danli Zhou introduced swissnex China to the EMBA students.

After coffee break, followed by guest speaker Mr. Tom Tiecheng Yu from Johnson Controls Inc. gave a presentation on the topic of “Human resource management in a dynamic environment”, which included the macro human resource context, implications and human resource management under diverse cultural backgrounds.

Moderated by Ms. Ying Gu, Mr. Tom Tiecheng Yu gave his presentation on HRM practices in China.

 The majority participants of this program are aged between 30 and 50 and possess on average 12 years of professional experience. The assignment enwrapped in their study trip in China was “How do we have to adapt our business model in order to be successful in rapidly changing environment – lessons learnt from China”. They were dynamic to pose numerous questions and active to search for clues in the Q & A session after the presentations. We wish them a meaningful trip in China and look forward to meeting next year’s class!

Goals Gone Wild: Setting Realistic Corporate Goals

By Sébastien Quadri, Junior Project Leader

HEC Lausanne, the University of Lausanne and swissnex China invited Prof. Xavier Castañer, expert in strategic management at HEC Lausanne, to give a talk about new developmental managerial perspectives on June 4.

Prof. Castañer shared with special insights with the audience.

Corporations (as well as cities, regions and countries) seem to be obsessed with quantitative growth; in particular, with revenue growth as an overriding goal. However, it is often said that corporations should be concerned with profitability and increasingly their corporate social responsibility should extend beyond this goal. Moreover, publicly-traded corporations seem to be exposed to high expectations of revenue growth which are difficult to achieve through organic growth and require alliances and acquisitions, modes which bring substantial challenges.

Xavier was an excellent orator and easily shared his passion for strategies to the audience. From this talk, the forty fascinated guests will remember that:

·      Corporations’ obsession with revenue growth (size) might be rooted in our primitive territorial built-up

·      Corporations have multiple owners who often have different preferences and not just revenue growth or profitability

·      Greater corporate or organizational size doesn’t necessarily entail greater profitability, actually it is difficult to achieve scale or scope economies

·      We should better talk about organizational or corporate development rather than growth

·      Corporate development might often require divestment, abandoning some activities, even the core or original businesses, rather than expanding to better develop

·      Shareholders and board members should be careful and critical with expansionist projects of CEOs, particularly if they use free cashflow and there is poor corporate governance (no chairman and CEO separation) 

The subsequent networking reception was the perfect moment to share ideas, trade opinions with the professor, and to meet people from various fields (business, management, finance, lawyers, and curious intellectuals).

Thank you Xavier for sharing your precious thoughts and ideas.

We wish you a great success in your following research!

swissnex China warmly welcomes Basel Confucius Institute Summer School Students

By Xu Yuzhuo, Junior Project Leader Academic Relations

On July 16, swissnex China had the pleasure of welcoming 27 Bachelor's students from Basel Confucius Institute Summer School. The students were on a cultural trip led by Ms. Dai Lan, who is the dean of Basel Confucius institute on the Chinese side.

Dr. Felix Moesner, CEO of swissnex China, gave a presentation to introduce swissnex China’s mission and activities.

This was followed by a presentation by Mr. Quentin Gigon, Junior Project Leader Innovation and Entrepreneurship. He presented to the students the innovation landscape in China as well as recent reports and statistical figures to illustrate that China was among the top 20 most-innovative economies in the annual Global Innovation Index ranking.

The topic was fascinating to the visiting students and many questions were asked after the presentation. Their trip in China continues after the visit to swissnex China. We wish them a pleasant time!

Joint HEIG-VD and Shanghai University Summer School Students visit swissnex China

By Xu Yuzhuo, Junior Project Leader Academic Relations

On July 18, 17 students from the Sino-Swiss Summer University, a joint program between HEIG-VAUD and Shanghai University visited swissnex China. Initially introduced by swissnex China, the fruitful collaboration between the two universities have been ongoing for a number of years. 

Ms. Rahel Gruber, Operations Manager of swissnex China, warmly welcomed the students and introduced swissnex’s mission in China.

This was followed by a presentation from Mr. Quentin Gigon, Junior Project Leader Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Quentin presented the innovation landscape in China. The students were very interested in this topic and posed numerous questions in the Q&A session after the presentation.

The 4-week Sino-Swiss Summer University program is jointly organized by HEIG-VAUD and Shanghai University. Students enrolled in the program spend 2 weeks in Switzerland and another two weeks in China. This is an excellent opportunity to experience different cultures and exchange ideas. We wish them a delightful summer time in China!

April Sees 12 Delegation Visits from Swiss Universities and Beyond

We would like to thank all the amazing 12 delegations from Swiss universities and beyond for visiting swissnex China in April. We were honored to host and give in-depth presentations on China’s advancements in education, R&D, tech innovation and startups while introducing various examples from the Chinese eco-systems and from swissnex’ broad palette of activities.

The delegations included the ETH Zurich Study Tour on ‘How to do business in China’; the HEAD - Genève, Geneva School of Art and Design delegation; the Future of Money Fintech panelists on ‘AI in WealthTech’; High School delegation from Kanton Aargau; University of St. Gallen Logistics Management's 'Shanghai Study Module'; HFW Bern; Insight China from University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland FHNW; EMBA School of Management Fribourg (HEG-FR); Nursing students from HESAV Haute Ecole de Santé Vaud; HSR Hochschule für Technik Rapperswil; Executive MBA HSG - University of St.Gallen - Universität St.Gallen - Hochschule für Wirtschafts-, Rechts- und Sozialwissenschaften Showcase Page; and the Fernfachhochschule Schweiz delegation.

University of St.Gallen EMBA Delegation receives briefing from swissnex China

On 28th April, swissnex China participated at the Executive MBA class of University of St. Gallen’s Fintech and Innovation study tour in China at JadeValue.

Invited by the Swiss Center Shanghai, the organizer of the study tour, our CEO Dr. Felix Moesner gave an in-depth presentation on China’s advancements in technology and innovation as well as startups. Dr. Moesner introduced various samples from China's ecosystems and from swissnex’ vast palette of activities. Finally, three Fintech startups pitched their business models and products to the EMBA delegation.

The Executive MBA of  University of St.Gallen is the oldest and most successful postgraduate general management degree program in the German-speaking world. The part-time EMBA program aims to give students the capabilities needed to assume challenging managerial positions in a wide range of industries and international market environments. The Financial Times continuously ranks University of St.Gallen's School of Management as one of Europe’s top four business schools.

We thank the EMBA class and Swiss Center Shanghai for this opportunity and look forward to meeting next year’s class!

EMBA Class of Bern University of Applied Sciences Visits swissnex China

On 31 May, the EMBA class of Bern University of Applied Sciences visited swissnex China.

Dr. Felix Moesner, CEO of swissnex China,  warmly welcomed the delegation and introduced swissnex’s activities in China as well as the education and innovation scene of China to the delegation.

We had the pleasure to invited Mr. Peter Bachmann, Executive Director of SwissCham Shanghai, to give a talk about their work and Swiss companies in Shanghai.

It was followed by a presentation from Mr. Daniel Eckmann, an alumnus of Bern University of Applied Science, now working in Shanghai.

The afternoon continued with the presentation from Dr. Urs Mattes, Asia Director of Cendres+Métaux, on topic of Chinese health care system, with potential opportunities for Swiss companies.

We wish the delegation a successful continuing trip in China and thank them again for visiting swissnex!

Swiss Alumni Gathering 2018 in Shanghai

By Priska Furrer, Junior Project Leader

On May 18, we had the pleasure of organizing a gathering for the alumni and current students of all Swiss universities living in China. We welcomed participants from Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH), University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Italian Switzerland (SUPSI), Zurich University of the Arts, University of Applied Sciences of Northwest Switzerland (FHNW), University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland, University of Lucerne, University of Lugano, University of Neuchâtel, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), École Cantonale D'art De Lausanne (ECAL), The Graduate Institute, Geneva, University of Fribourg, University of Bern, University of Basel, École hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL), University of Lausanne, University of Zurich, University of Geneva, University of St. Gallen, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH), Les Roches & IFM and International Hotel and Tourism Training Institute Neuchâtel.

At 6 pm the first guests arrived, and our team started with the registration. Soon the venue started to fill up with people.

Around 7 pm our CEO, Felix Moesner, held a short speech in which he introduced the mission of swissnex China to everyone and he also briefly talked about the Swiss education system.

The event also sparked interest in people passing by the venue, Rose Garden, located in the heart of Shanghai.

We prepared goodie bags for all the attendees at the end of the evening, thanks to the support of our sponsors Lindt, Orange Garden, 17Hi, Switzerland Tourism and Cheers Wines.

We would like to thank everyone for coming to the gathering and we hope to see you again next year!

swissnex China Referral Sparks World-Class EHL-CEIBS Hospitality Executive MBA

On May 11, 2018, École hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL), the world's best ranked hotel management school, and China Europe International Business School (CEIBS), China's leading business school, held a grand opening ceremony to mark the launch of their joint Hospitality Executive MBA (HEMBA) programme. Both Dr. Felix Moesner, CEO of swissnex China, and Mr. Alexander Hoffet, Consul General of Switzerland in Shanghai, were among the VIP guests-of-honor at the ceremony, which was attended by leadership representatives from CEIBS and EHL.

The initial spark that ignited the successful collaboration between EHL and CEIBS was originally instigated by swissnex China, connecting Dean Ding Yuan of CEIBS and Director Michel Rochat of EHL. The HEMBA is the first of its kind in China, while also being CEIBS’ first dual degree EMBA and first joint EMBA. Upon graduation, the student enrolled in the programme will be awarded a double-degree from CEIBS and EHL, thereby gaining access to the pretigious alumni networks of both schools. Throughout the years, swissnex China has been hosting a number of exceptional EHL students as part of our internship programme.

VIP guests-of-honor (incl. Dr. Felix Moesner, CEO of swissnex China, and Mr. Alexander Hoffet, Consul General of Switzerland in Shanghai) and EHL / CEIBS leadership representatives drink a toast to the programme's success. CEIBS© CEIBS, 2018.

“Two exceptional partners have come together to form a perfect match and offer a leading-edge programme that will position graduates for executive roles in a service sector that is hungry for the skills the programme will provide participants.”

— EHL’s Chief Academic Officer Professor Finbarr O’Mahony, representing EHL Group CEO Michel Rochat

EHL-CEIBS HEMBA Opening Ceremony © CEIBS, 2018.

About China Europe International Business School (CEIBS)

China Europe International Business School (www.ceibs.edu) is among the top international business schools in Asia, where it is the only b-school to have simultaneously made it to the Financial Times’ top 30 list of MBA, EMBA and Executive Education programmes. CEIBS’ world-class faculty – from both China and abroad – are experts in their fields. CEIBS, which has provided management education to over 130,000 executives both at home and abroad, has campuses in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Zurich and Accra.

About Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL)

Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL, @EHLnews) is an ambassador for traditional Swiss hospitality and has been a pioneer in hospitality education since 1893. It has created and inspired a unique professional community of over 25,000 hospitality managers, united by the values and the legacy of EHL.

EHL is a leading university that provides learning solutions for enthusiastic, talented and ambitious students from 114 different countries. With undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs, EHL offers its students a range of on-campus and online education opportunities at different stages of their professional journey.

EHL is regularly recognized as the best hotel management school in the world with the highest graduate employment rates in the industry. EHL is a member of EHL Holding SA, a Group dedicated to hospitality management education.

Executive MBA School of Management Fribourg Visiting swissnex China

By Xu Yuzhuo, Junior Project Leader Academic Relations

The School of Management Fribourg has started to offer an Executive MBA program in 1999, and since 2015 it organizes a yearly EMBA delegation trip to China in partnership with swissnex China, in order to explore the dynamics of the Chinese market as well as market changes and new business trends. This year swissnex China again had the great pleasure of welcoming a EMBA delegation in Shanghai from April 16-20.

On April 16, the group spent their day at swissnex China. Felix Moesner, CEO of swissnex China, first introduced swissnex China, which was followed by a presentation by Ms. Ye Mingya, Trade Promotion Officer of Swiss Business Hub (SBH). Then Prof. Heini Shi from New York University Shanghai gave a lecture about business and management in China.

On the second day of their study tour in Shanghai, the EMBA Fribourg group visited Swiss Center Shanghai (SCS). Ms. Emmanuelle Roduit, Operations Manager of SCS, gave an informative presentation about how they operate in China.

Then Mr. Sam Qi, Logistic Manager in International Machinery Center (IMT), talked about “Relevant Function of Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone” and after the EMBA Fribourg group was invited to visit GF Machining Solutions and Steinway & Sons Shanghai.

On the next day, the EMBA Fribourg group visited Tech-Temple, where they had the opportunity to learn about the experiences of doing business in China from the Chinese startup Furling Technology and the two Swiss startups Ubisim and rqmicro.

On the last day of their trip, the group visited NEO, one of the best blockchain companies in China. The General Manager of NEO Global Development, Mr. Chen Zhao, introduced NEO and its vision of being the best blockchain company in 2020.

We wish the delegation a successful and interesting time in China and we are looking forward to welcome the new EMBA class of the School of Management of Fribourg next year!

Canton Aargau High School Students Visiting swissnex China

By Xu Yuzhuo, Junior Project Leader Academic Relations

On April 10, swissnex China had the pleasure of welcoming 17 high school students from Canton Aargau. The students were on a two-week cultural trip in China led by their Chinese language teacher Mrs. Nathalie Bao-Götsch.

Mr. Erwin Lüthi, Deputy Consul General of Switzerland in Shanghai, gave a presentation about Sino-Swiss relations and Swiss presence in China to the students.

Then Ms. Rahel Gruber, Operations Manager of swissnex China, introduced swissnex China’s mission and our activities.

The afternoon then continued with a presentation by Xu Yuzhuo, Junior Project Leader Academic Relations, on the topic of WeChat, as it is the most important communication tool in China and something completely new to the students. Yuzhuo demonstrated the functions of WeChat and explained how it dominates the market thanks to its powerful one-stop service.

Then Mr. Quentin Gigon, Junior Project Leader Innovation and Entrepreneurship, talked about how mobile payment works in China. He displayed relevant statistics and talked about how China is gradually turning into a cashless society.

The topics discussed were of high interest to the students and they asked many questions after the presentations. Their trip in China continues after the visit to swissnex China and we wish them a pleasant time!