Reposted from Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization
On the afternoon of June 20 local time, the “Invest in Shanghai · Global Tour” series event (Switzerland Stop)—Shanghai-Geneva Investment Cooperation Symposium was successfully held in Geneva. Zhang Ying, Deputy Secretary-General of the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government and Director of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization (Municipal Investment Promotion Office), attended the event. Representatives from Swiss business associations such as the Swiss-Chinese Chamber of Commerce (SCCC), as well as over 20 Swiss corporate representatives from Novartis Group, Richemont Group, UBS Group, Mediterranean Shipping Group, SGS Group, Bachem Group, Spigot, and ISWAT, participated in the symposium.
Zhang Ying stated that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Switzerland. Through long-term friendly exchanges and cooperation, the collaboration between Shanghai and Swiss enterprises has expanded from traditional economic and trade fields to full industrial chain synergy. Currently, Shanghai has become the city with the largest number and scale of Swiss investments in China. Many well-known Swiss companies, such as Schindler Elevator, ABB, Roche Pharmaceuticals, and MSC Cruises, have established roots in Shanghai, deeply participating in urban construction and industrial upgrading. They continue to make strides in high-end manufacturing, precision instruments, biomedicine, and other fields, contributing positively to Shanghai’s high-quality economic development.
At present, Shanghai is focusing on ten key industrial chains: integrated circuits, artificial intelligence, biomedicine, high-end equipment, intelligent connected vehicles, new-generation electronic information, fashion consumer goods, new energy and green low-carbon technologies, advanced materials, and software and information services. The city aims to build four trillion-yuan industrial clusters—electronic information, automobiles, high-end equipment, and software and information services—along with 25 leading industries each valued at hundreds of billions of yuan. These areas align closely with Switzerland’s strengths, offering broad prospects for cooperation between the two sides.
Zhang Ying welcomed more Swiss companies to leverage the vast advantages of the Chinese market by establishing their Asia-Pacific headquarters, manufacturing headquarters, and innovation headquarters in Shanghai. She also encouraged them to utilize cooperation platforms such as the China International Import Expo, World Artificial Intelligence Conference, and China International Industry Fair to continuously expand their global markets and achieve win-win development.
During the meeting, corporate representatives discussed their core business operations, development activities in China and Shanghai, as well as their investment intentions in Shanghai. They emphasized the importance of the Chinese market in their global strategic planning from perspectives such as investment, supply chain, procurement, and technological collaboration, and spoke highly of Shanghai’s development potential. The attending corporate representatives unanimously agreed that Shanghai is not only the “preferred destination” for Swiss companies entering the Chinese market but also a key node for global business expansion. They expressed their commitment to increasing investment in Shanghai and deepening cooperation in areas such as high-end manufacturing, biomedicine, and fashion consumer goods.
Zhang Ying listened attentively to the remarks of the Swiss corporate representatives and responded collectively to their needs and suggestions. She emphasized that Shanghai is continuously advancing high-level opening-up by establishing industrial cooperation mechanisms, introducing new industrial policies, optimizing investment promotion services, and streamlining approval processes. These efforts aim to create a business environment that is highly attractive, a hub for global investment and entrepreneurship, a region with competitive comprehensive costs, and a highland for industrial innovation, thereby ensuring “development certainty” for foreign businesses. She warmly invited global entrepreneurs and investors to visit Shanghai more often, gain a deeper understanding of the city, experience its dynamism, invest and expand their presence there, and collectively achieve new milestones in development.
Relevant departments of the Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization, the Municipal Investment Promotion Center, the Planning and Innovation Office of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the Registration Office of the Municipal Market Supervision Bureau, and responsible officials from the Investment Promotion Office of Jing’an District attended the meeting.
The event was co-organized by Shanghai Creative City Technology Development Co., Ltd.