The University of St.Gallen Takes Another Important Step to Enhance Its Cooperation with China

On 13^th May 2017 in Beijing China, in the presence of President of Swiss Federation Doris Leuthard, Minister of Education of Canton of St.Gallen Stefan Kölliker and Ambassador of China to Switzerland GENG Wenbing, University of St.Gallen (HSG) of Switzerland and University of International Business and Economics (UIBE) of China formally signed the Cooperation Agreement concerning Sino-Switzerland Competence Centre (SSCC). The HSG was represented by President Thomas Bieger, and the Director of Research Institute of International Management (FIM-HSG) Prof. Winfried Ruigrok. The UIBE was represented by President WANG Jiaqiong and the Dean of China Institute of WTO Studies Prof. TU Xinquan.

SSCC aims to develop research projects to help enhance academic relationship between China and Switzerland and to strengthen the bilateral ties based on institutional development and support to managers, decision-makers and policy-makers. It will focus on various subjects such as China’s overseas investment and innovation, and its first project will research the China-Switzerland Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

On 12^th May also in Beijing China, HSG and UIBE jointly organized the first Stepping Stone China Symposium on Globalization. Participants from governments, universities and industries of both countries extensively discussed subjects related to SSCC’s agenda, particularly the upgrading of the China-Switzerland FTA. It’s tentatively agreed that a second symposium will be organized in spring 2018 in St. Gallen Switzerland with the aim to share the first results of SSCC’s joint research projects.