GENEVA, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- China and Switzerland boast great potential for creativity and innovation, with their cooperation in science and technology producing "small yet beautiful results," Zhou Shun, head of the China Region at the Greater Geneva Bern area (GGBa), said in a recent interview with Xinhua.
Zhou highlighted the favorable conditions created by the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries and common efforts to accelerate negotiations on upgrading their free trade agreement. He said Chinese companies are increasingly interested in the Swiss market and its research and development talent, particularly in advanced manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and new energy. Switzerland, he added, has also shown a proactive approach toward collaboration.
"Switzerland's scientific research market remains a relatively unperturbed and open market. Many academic and corporate research institutions are largely unaffected by geopolitical factors in establishing research projects," Zhou said, adding that this indicates the Swiss research community's openness to Chinese companies.
Zhou noted that Chinese institutions have been actively fostering the growth of Chinese enterprises in Switzerland, citing China Automotive Standards Internationalization Center in Geneva, which focuses on automotive standardization and fosters links between Switzerland's upstream automotive technology and China's new energy vehicle market.
He also pointed to examples of innovative cooperation, including Chinese technology companies establishing subsidiaries in Switzerland to leverage its advanced innovation ecosystem for commercializing research outcomes, and the transfer of research results from Swiss laboratories to industrial parks in China. These include technologies such as anion exchange membranes for hydrogen production through water electrolysis, results that he described as "small but beautiful," reflecting the innovation advantages and cooperation potential between the two countries.
Zhou also noted progress in China-Switzerland cooperation in education and public health. A student exchange program between research institutes at the University of Geneva and the Vanke School of Public Health at Tsinghua University has played a key role in advancing global public health research, strengthening international epidemic prevention and control, and fostering health-related cooperation.
Through in-depth collaboration, China and Switzerland are cultivating a strong research talent pipeline and ensuring the ongoing innovative transformation of scientific research results, Zhou said.
Many Swiss universities invest heavily in their laboratories each year, training doctoral and postdoctoral researchers and supporting the commercialization of research outcomes, he said, adding that Chinese companies and research institutions should follow these developments and explore areas of cooperation.
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