President Prof. ZHUO Zhi met with a Swiss delegation in the VIP meeting room in Tengxiang Building on 3 September 2020. The Swiss delegation was led by Ms. Conny Camenzind, consul general of Switzerland in Chengdu, consisting of Mr. Jiang Shan, Senior researcher of the Center for Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability (CCRS) at the University of Zurich. Representatives from School of Finance and the Office of International Exchange and Cooperation of SWUFE attended the meeting.
President ZHUO extended a warm welcome to Ms. Conny Camenzind and the Swiss delegation. He pointed out that the COVID-19 has made heavy impacts on the global higher education exchanges. He appreciated the attention and care that had been shown to SWUFE by Swiss consulate with this in-person visit when the epidemic has been effectively controlled and production in China has been resumed in an orderly fashion. It also reflected that SWUFE adhered to the educational policy of opening up to the outside world and continued to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with other countries.
President ZHUO expressed thanks to the Consulate General of Switzerland in Chengdu for its long-term support and assistance to the SWUFE’s exchanges with Switzerland. “SWUFE values the friendship and joint achievements with our Swiss partners. At present, SWUFE has established friendly cooperative relations with Swiss universities and institutions such as Lucerne University of Applied Science and Technology, Zurich University of Applied Science and Technology, Swiss Re Company Limited, Geneva Association (International Insurance Economics Research Institute) and so on. ” He said, “Switzerland is a powerhouse in higher education and has rich experience in green economy, finance and insurance and other fields. SWUFE looks forward to closer, broader and deeper exchanges and cooperation with Switzerland in the fields of higher education, scientific research and innovation for mutual learning and win-win cooperation.”
Ms. Conny Camenzind thanked SWUFE for the warm reception. She said, “SWUFE is the first Chinese university I have visited since taking office in November 2019. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. China is Switzerland's most important trading partner in Asia and Switzerland's third largest trading partner in the world”.
She also mentioned that Chengdu is building a western financial center with international influence at present. She believed that with the support of top financial and economic universities like SWUFE, the goals would be achieved. Green economy, finance and insurance are important parts of the Swiss economy.
“SWUFE is a distinctive university of finance and economics with broad prospects and great potential for future cooperation between the two sides. The Swiss Consulate General in Chengdu will continue to pave the way for exchanges and cooperation between SWUFE and Swiss universities and institutions,” she said.
After the meeting, the Consul-General of the Swiss Consulate in Chengdu visited the Financial Innovation Center at SWUFE. Prof. Zhao Jingmei, executive dean of School of Finance, introduced the history and development concepts of the center. She expressed her hope that with the strong support of the Swiss embassy, the Financial Innovation Center at SWUFE and the Center for Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability (CCRS) at the University of Zurich will deepen cooperation and jointly promote the development of China's green finance and ESG investment.
(Office of International Exchange and Cooperation, School of Finance)
