On the afternoon of November 5^th, Vice Mayor Fang Guoqiang met with Alexander Hoffet, the Swiss Consul General in Shanghai, and his delegation in Changzhou Administration Center. Du Jibin and Sima Shuanglong,director and deputy director of Changzhou Municipal Foreign Affairs Office, attended the meeting.

Mr. Hoffet took the position of Swiss Consul General in Shanghai in October 2014, and it was the first time he visited Changzhou. The main purpose of this visit is to meet with the city leaders and directors of relevant departments in Changzhou and to visit Swiss companies in Changzhou, in order to learn about their current circumstances and to further promote economic and trade cooperation between Switzerland and Changzhou. By the end of 2014, Changzhou has approved the registration of 24 Swiss-invested enterprises, mainly in machinery and chemical industries. In addition,the total import and export for the year 2014 between Changzhou and Switzerland reached $ 190 million (up 27.7%), including exports of $ 62.907 million (up 23.5%) and imports of $ 130 million (up 29.9%).

During the meeting, Fang expressed the expectation that both sides will further strengthen economic and trade cooperation in science and technology sectors while expanding to emerging areas such as health care.