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From the desks of the Presidents


Dear Members and Friends

The year 2022 has begun, and we have already experienced two seasons: spring and winter. Towards the end of the first week, temperatures were back in the usual range of the prevailing season, which is winter. It seems that 2022 gives us a glimpse of what we will experience in the next 12 months.

The Omicron variant is spreading at breakneck speed and infecting the entire globe. Even a booster vaccination cannot prevent infection, and while infections cause mostly mild symptoms, vaccinated individuals still carry the virus and can infect others.

That is bad news for China, as most of its 1,4 billion citizens are vaccinated, but with a vaccine that does not provide a high level of protection. Therefore, it is not surprising that China’s and Hong Kong’s borders are tightly guarded and drastic quarantine regulations are enforced. In the eyes of Chinese society, it is the responsibility of the government to protect the population from harm, and that includes the spread of the pandemic within China.

The upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics will be a real test of the mighty tools China has developed to keep a potential virus outbreak at bay in the Olympic village. The country has now sealed the Olympic site and created so-called bubbles. Needless to say, these measures will create an eerie feeling when the world’s best athletes compete without big crowds of spectators to cheer them on. 

While the games will certainly impact the economy domestically, the projected retail sales and accommodation revenue from Olympic tourists will not materialize. The shutdown of Xian and other Chinese cities, where millions of people are trapped, have a serious impact on the economy and cause ripples around the globe. The production facilities of Samsung and Micron, two of the world’s largest manufacturers of memory chips, are based in Xian; both companies warned that the delivery of orders would be delayed.

Yuzhou, another City in China with a population of 1 million, has also been shut down for the time being, and more cities might follow. Based on the experience of the 2020 and 2021 shutdowns, supply chains around the globe are expected to be impacted. Therefore, it is advisable to review your supply chains and inventories again to avoid surprises in your commitments to your customers.

However, there is also good news for companies operating in China. The Chinese government has communicated that the current tax exemption regime for expats will remain in place until the end of 2023. This is a real relief, as the costs for expatriates based in China would have increased significantly.

Despite the special situation last year, the Swiss-Chinese Chamber of Commerce was extremely active and we held physical events when possible. We believe that nothing can replace a good elbow bump, a wave or a face-to-face meeting. It is an exciting time to be a member of the SCCC. May this year be a year of success for your career and projects with China. The chamber will continue to be your trusted partner, providing direct support to help your business flourish and to inspire and educate your employees. We hope that commercial flights will resume soon without quarantine. If possible, we will organize a special SCCC trip to China. Given the dynamic geopolitical and business climate, it is essential to understand China’s policies and development goals in order to make timely adjustments to your business development strategies and avoid compliance risks.

We will closely monitor developments and keep our members informed through the various communication channels of the chamber. As a precautionary measure, the Chinese New Year events have been postponed to a later date in 2022. The same applies to physical meetings. Currently, the SCCC office can be contacted by phone or video calls. Watch out for upcoming 2022 activities.

With this in mind, we wish you a healthy and successful start to 2022 and thank you for all your support.

Kind regards and stay healthy,









Felix Sutter
President Zurich
Headquarter

Alexandre Gaillard
President Romandie
Chapter
Alex Chung
Chairman Ticino
Chapter

In this Newsletter

Upcoming Events Member Offer Announcements News New Member

Webinars & Events

 register

Monthly Virtual Get-Together

Online (Zoom)
January 18, 2022 | 17:00-18:00 | Add to calendar
Participate in our monthly get-together and enjoy casual conversations with fellow SCCC and SHKBA members.
 register

Hype or Reality? Blockchain Status Quo and Applications from China

Online (Zoom)
January 19, 2022 | 10:00-11:00 | Add to calendar
Join us for another interesting webinar to deep-dive into the topic of blockchain and its application possibilities.
 register

Sustainability Disclosure & Sufficiency-Oriented Entrepreneurship

Online (Zoom)
January 20, 2022 | 09:00-10:15 | Add to calendar
Guest speakers from H&B LAw and Inep will discuss the topics of sustainability disclosure related issues and sufficiency-oriented entrepreneurship.
 register

La Chine fermée au reste du monde: comment se maintenir dans le jeu?

Neuchâtel
February 01, 2022 | 16:30-19:00 | Add to calendar
A special meeting for selected CEO from Machinery and Tools industry. The official language of this event is French.
 register

[SAVE THE DATE] Swiss-Chinese Life Science Forum 2022

Online
March 16, 2022 | 09:30-12:00 | Add to calendar
Save the date for the next edition of the Swiss-Chinese Life Science Forum!
 register

[SAVE THE DATE] 42nd Annual General Meeting SCCC & 17th AGM of SHKBA

Credit Suisse Forum St. Peter, St. Peterstrasse 19, 8001 Zürich
June 08, 2022 | 17:00-20:00 | Add to calendar
Save the date for the next Annual General Meeting.

Special Member Offer

Carl F. Bucherer - excellence, innovation and passion since 1888


Carl F. Bucherer is one of the few remaining independent family owned Swiss watch manufacturers and is now headed in the third generation by Jörg G. Bucherer.

It has become an internationally renowned global brand throughout the world.

Committed to technical innovation, Carl F. Bucherer is the market leader in peripheral technology with patents for not only a peripheral winding system but also for other innovative functions.

In partnership with SCCC, Carl F. Bucherer is pleased to offer all members an exclusive discount of 10 % on all superb watches till Feb 28th, 2022 and the opportunity to win an exciting manufacture tour.

Click here for more details.

Please contact us at info@sccc.ch in case of any questions.
 

Announcements

New National SCCC Newsletter

In January 2022, SCCC launched a new national newsletter, containing information from the three locations Zurich, Romandie and Ticino.

This allows our members and friends to be updated about events and recent developments from all language regions, as well as to hear the views of a greater variety of China experts.

News Switzerland - China

         
 
Jan 01, 2022 / News
China extends preferential taxes for foreigners until 2023

China’s finance ministry has pledged to extent preferential income tax policies for non-Chinese living in the country to December 31, 2023, part of attempts to lower the burden on taxpayers. The government has also pledged to further cut taxes and fees in 2022 to support struggling businesses.
 
Dec 30, 2021 / News
China’s big challenge for 2022

Along with the property market, consumption is one of two areas economists are most concerned about in their China growth outlook. Top leaders in Beijing warned that growth faces “triple pressure” from shrinking demand, supply shocks and weakening expectations.
 
         
 
Dec 29, 2021 / News
China Outlines Vision for Four Mega Data Centre Clusters

China has approved plans to build four mega clusters of data centres in the country's north and west with the aim of supporting the data needs of Beijing and major coastal centres. The clusters will be built in the northern Inner Mongolia region, northwestern Ningxia region, Gansu province and southwestern Guizhou province.

 
Dec 17, 2021 / News
China’s Hydrogen Energy Industry Accelerates

China’s hydrogen energy industry is taking off as the country pushes towards reaching carbon neutrality by 2060. The industry has advanced significantly in the past five years, establishing a hydrogen energy industry chain, strengthening production of core components and materials for fuel cells, and scaling production to lower costs.
 
         
 
Dec 21, 2021 / News
Winter Olympics 2022

The "Ice Cube" ice sports center in downtown Beijing, which will provide extensive ice sports experiences for the public during the Winter Olympics has passed its completion test.
The games are set to start in early February 2022. Click here for an introductory video.
 
Dec 01, 2021 / News
A personal perspective on China’s relations with the “West”

One way to create employment in Europe is for SMEs to leverage global markets more effectively. Europe should seize the opportunity offered by BRI to achieve just that.
 

New Member


We welcome our new Company Member of the SCCC:
 
Alibaba Cloud
 

Alibaba Cloud, founded in 2009, is a global leader in cloud computing and artificial intelligence, providing services to thousands of customers worldwide. Alibaba Cloud provides reliable and secure online solutions in cloud computing and data processing. In January 2017, Alibaba Cloud became the official cloud services partner of the Olympics.
 

Not a member yet? Apply for membership HERE.

Proverb of the month

老骥伏枥,志在千里。


Lǎojì fúlì, zhì zài qiānlǐ.

An old warhorse in the stable still longs to gallop a thousand li. – You are never too old to live your dream.


Partners

The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China is the largest bank in the world. Its Swiss branch was entered in the Commercial Register on 11 December 2017 and officially opened in Zurich on 21 June 2018. ICBC Zurich offers valuable networks and comprehensive services and advice to Swiss investors intending to invest in China.

Swiss-Chinese Chamber of Commerce

Zurich Head Office
Kappelergasse 15
8001 Zurich

Phone: +41 44 421 38 88

info@sccc.ch
Romandie Chapter
4, bd du Théâtre
1204 Geneva

Phone: +41 22 310 37 10
info.romandie@sccc.ch
Ticino Chapter
c/o Alex Chung
Piazza Riforma 1
6900 Lugano
Phone: +41 58 866 70 95

ticino@sccc.ch
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