You cannot understand China if you don’t know Beijing

Editor’s note: This year marks the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening-up, and huge changes have been made in Beijing, capital of China, over the past 40 years. We have invited 40 foreign experts to participate in a series of interviews named “New Era, New Insight” jointly hosted by GMW.cn（The official website of Guangming Daily） and the Information Office of Beijing Municipality and share their “Beijing Stories”. The following is a part of the interview with the ambassador of Switzerland to China Jean-Jacquesde Dardel.

Hello to all, I’m Jean-Jacquesde Dardel, in Chinese Dai Shangxian

I am the ambassador of Switzerland to China, (Mongolia, the DPRK)

I’ve been sent here as an ambassador is to had a very large embassy is actually the largest embassy in the world, which is tribute to the size the importance of China.

It’s also historical and has the whole substance of China.

Its history gives it meaning that substance and it’s also absolutely unavoidable.

Theirs history, theirs power, there is a lot of economy and a lot of developing high-tech, cutting edge sectors of human activity around Beijing.

You cannot understand China if you don’t know Beijing.

If you ask me to describe Beijing in one word.

I may go to the words Beijing is a “central”.

Beijing is a throbbing hub that moves and constantly revests itself. And I like to show that kind of modernism to Swiss audiences.

What first try is a western group of people visiting China for the first time is the modernism, the contemporary skyline, the beauty of many well-developed cities and this goes for Beijing too. I like to show that kind of modernism.

So more and more companies are attracted by human resources.

There will be more and more such opportunities for start-ups for high-tech enterprises.

We have around a thousand Swiss companies established in China, signing up to the Swiss - Chinese Chamber of Commence.

And here in Beijing it’s likely over one hundred.

When you need to know more about regulations, when you need to explain how regulations should adapt to the reality of the products that are been imported or sold or produced in China.