This new cooperation between Switzerland and Guangzhou includes the pilot project of Sino-Swiss (Guangzhou) Ecological Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Industrial Park in Conghua District and the Sino-Swiss (Guangzhou) Development and Cooperation Center. The project will be implemented over the next six years.

‘You might think that Switzerland is a paradise on earth but it was not always like that. We experienced tough moments before, such as acid rains and polluted dumping sites. Through years of development we’ve learned how big the cost of inaction is.’ Ambassador Pio Wennubst said at the opening ceremony of the project’s focus on low carbon. In this sense, Switzerland would like to share with China its experiences and the lessons the country has gained, he added.

Under the newly established Innovative Strategic Partnership between Switzerland and China, the SSLCC Project aims at reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases in Chinese urban areas while sharing Switzerland’s long term experience in the protection of environment, its extended technological knowledge and high innovation capacity. The project will contribute to increase the climate resilience of Guangzhou economy and improve its environmental standards through technical cooperation and exchange platforms for political leaders, technical experts and representatives of the private sector.

The cooperation will lead to effective policy schemes for the transformation and upgrading of industrial clusters, as well as improvement of environmental standards.

Besides the participation of Ambassador Pio Wennubst, the inauguration ceremony was attended by Mr. Ouyang Weimin, Executive Vice Mayor of Guangzhou Municipal People’s Government, Conghua District Chief Mr. Cai Shu, and other high-level representatives from Guangzhou and Conghua District.

Together with Guangzhou, four other Chinese cities – Chengdu, Chongqing, Shanghai and Yantai - signed MoUs and launched their cooperation with Switzerland under the framework of the project.