(CIIE Story) Swiss Center unlocks Switzerland China cooperation password

Shanghai, June 25th (Xinhua) -- As soon as I walked into the Swiss Center Shanghai office, more than 40 Swiss companies' product displays came into view. The vast majority of these products are engraved with the "Jinbo Seal".

The CIIE is a success story for us. "In the view of Jean Jacques de Dardel, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Swiss Center and former Swiss Ambassador to China, the CIIE is an important platform for deepening economic and trade exchanges and cooperation between Switzerland and China, and a" multiplier "for enhancing the ability of Swiss enterprises to expand into the Chinese market.

From observation to entry

As a Swiss exhibition organization, the Swiss Center has not only been a "full-time student" of the previous seven CIIE, but also gradually become a "navigator" for Swiss companies entering the Chinese market. It helps numerous Swiss companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, showcase their products, promote their brands, and find business partners in the Chinese market every year. It can be said that the Swiss Center has witnessed the complete process of Swiss enterprises' increasing awareness and satisfaction with the CIIE. As of now, the center has organized over 100 Swiss companies to participate in the CIIE.

Xiao Zhen, CEO of the Swiss Center, has a deep impression of this process. At the first CIIE, only leading Swiss companies such as Roche and ABB participated independently, and many Swiss small and medium-sized enterprises still held a wait-and-see attitude towards this emerging exhibition. In the preparation period of the second CIIE, the Swiss Center began to promote model innovation, creating joint booths in the food and consumer goods exhibition areas. This "group" display quickly opened up the situation, with 16 Swiss brands participating together, allowing Swiss specialty products such as chocolate and wine to quickly "go global".

Swiss military knives, Swiss watches and other products have a high level of popularity in China, and Swiss manufacturing has gradually established a high-quality impression in the minds of Chinese consumers. At the annual CIIE, the Swiss Center highlights the core IP concept of "Swiss Made".

In Xiao Zhen's view, as the only exhibition organized by the Swiss Center for Swiss Enterprises to participate in China, the CIIE is an important platform for conveying this core IP concept.

Swiss companies now have a clearer understanding of the CIIE, knowing that it is the best window to access the Chinese market and connect with buyers, suppliers, and distributors from all over the world. In just six days, they can quickly receive a very wide range of sample feedback, "said Xiao Zhen.

Due to the CIIE, new departments and positions have been established

Many years ago, the only Swiss product that Chinese consumers were familiar with was the Swiss Army Knife. Nowadays, more Swiss products are coming to China through the CIIE. This pear wine has been exhibited before. Its popularity in Switzerland is very high, "said Guillaume Muriset, Customer Success Manager of the Swiss Center, fluently introducing it in Chinese. He admitted that his Chinese proficiency has rapidly improved due to the CIIE.

After participating in the CIIE for the first time, the Swiss Center established a Business Development department dedicated to serving Swiss companies in the consumer goods industry. More than half of our service targets are CIIE exhibitors, and the number is increasing, "said Jin Yu, General Manager of the Swiss Center in China.

And 'Customer Success Manager' can be said to be a new position established by the Swiss Center for the CIIE. This position was created in 2024, and Mu Songtao is the first incumbent. Customer Success Manager, as the name suggests, is responsible for helping Swiss companies achieve success in the first step of entering the Chinese market.

In fact, before assuming this position, Mu Songtao had worked at the Swiss Embassy in China. At that time, he mainly understood China from a cultural and diplomatic perspective. After arriving in Shanghai, he admitted that he was "re understanding China from an economic perspective".

After taking office, Mu Songtao's top priority was to participate in the CIIE, and his first impression of the CIIE was its large scale and high efficiency. What particularly caught his attention was that, thanks to the CIIE, the entry cycle of new Swiss companies into China could be shortened from the original 12 months to 3 months. Mu Songtao said, "This shows Swiss companies that the business environment in China is very active. They are very interested in it

Relying on the CIIE platform, the Swiss Center builds an accelerated channel for Swiss wine brands to enter the Chinese market, providing professional support throughout the entire chain from regulatory adaptation to channel implementation. Since 2021, the Swiss Center has been continuously creating a "Swiss Wine Promotion Corner" at the CIIE site in order to increase its penetration rate in high-end consumer scenarios in China.

In conversations with clients, Mu Songtao also learned that no matter what stage of development a company is in China, it can gain business opportunities at the CIIE. For first-time visitors to the China International Import Expo, they want to understand the Chinese market and see if their products can find resonance. For those who have visited many times, they hope to establish a better brand image and find more partners and distributors, "said Mu Songtao.

More and more Swiss exhibitors are participating, covering a wider range of fields

From assisting four Swiss companies to participate in the first CIIE, to showcasing 24 exhibitors and 34 brands on a record breaking scale of 270 square meters at the seventh CIIE, with the support of the Swiss Center, the breadth of Swiss companies' participation is constantly expanding.

The Swiss Center is continuously expanding the areas in which Swiss companies participate in the CIIE. Jin Yu stated that the CIIE provides Swiss brands with opportunities to test products, expand sales channels, and enter the Chinese market. Therefore, Swiss companies have a high enthusiasm for participating in the exhibition. "In addition to continuing the layout in the food and consumer goods exhibition area of previous years, in 2024, the Swiss Center also set up a joint booth in the Innovation Incubation Zone of the CIIE for the first time, where 14 medical technology companies showcased their innovative products and technologies.

This plan is in response to the demand of many Swiss start-up companies to enter the Chinese market. Switzerland has been ranked first in the Global Innovation Index for 14 consecutive years. We hope that these innovative technologies can take root in China. This is in line with the rapid development of China's science and technology innovation industry, "said Jin Yu.

The first attempt was fruitful, "said Jin Yu." The innovation incubation zone has received a good response. "The Swiss startups participating in the exhibition not only met investors, research institutions, and partners, but also discussed the possibility of business cooperation with each other.

When the 7th China International Import Expo came to an end, due to word of mouth and influence from colleagues around him, the Chinese phrase "full of new expectations, opportunities to enjoy all directions" had become a slogan that Mu Songtao could blurt out.

A century old Swiss brand is revitalized in clover, and Swiss startups are finding rare development opportunities at the CIIE... As Mu Songtao said, the economic and trade cooperation between Switzerland and China will not stop. On the stage of the "never-ending" CIIE, the Chinese story of Swiss companies is opening a new chapter. (End)