Interview: CIIE a key platform for deepening Sino-Swiss economic cooperation, says former Swiss ambassador to China

GENEVA, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- The China International Import Expo (CIIE) is an important platform for deepening economic and trade exchanges and cooperation between Switzerland and China, Jean-Jacques de Dardel, Switzerland's former ambassador to China, has said.

In a recent interview with Xinhua in the Swiss city of Fribourg, de Dardel, currently the president of the Board of Swiss Centers, said "Swiss Centers has been present there ever since the first edition (of CIIE)."

Swiss Centers, a non-profit organization founded in 2000 to help Swiss companies develop business in China, organized over 30 Swiss companies to participate in this year's CIIE. The Swiss Centers' booth in the food and agricultural section spans 270 square meters, setting a record compared to previous years.

De Dardel said the large number of Swiss companies participating in the CIIE under the organization of Swiss Centers reflects the success of the CIIE.

The CIIE is a "multiplicator" that strengthens Swiss companies' ability to explore the Chinese market and provides a platform for related companies to showcase their corporate image and products, he said.

Over the years, Swiss Centers has organized more than 50 companies to participate in the exhibition, facilitating many business cooperations. "The CIIE is a success story for us," he added.

De Dardel believes that the CIIE is not only an important platform in the business-to-business field, but also conducive to boosting consumer confidence and demand.

He said the CIIE is "impressive" and has become an important annual event, underlining China's ongoing commitment to opening up.

It is impressive not just because of its size, but also because of the liveliness and the presence of so many foreign companies and representatives. "In many ways, it is successful," he said.

Noting the Sino-Swiss relationship has remained stable and rich, de Dardel said positive measures such as the CIIE will inject new impetus into the economic and trade cooperation between the two sides. ■