CONNECTING THE WORLD

The New China made its debut on the world stage when late Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai attended the Geneva Conference in 1954. Switzerland has been a significant place for China to engage in international affairs.

In 2010, then Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang attended the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

In a speech, Li shared China's measures to cope with the global financial crisis with world leaders at the forum.

Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the WEF, told Xinhua that Switzerland is known for its political tradition of neutrality and has long been the seat of important international organizations.

"As such Switzerland is serving as a bridge between Europe and many other parts of the world," he said.

China is today a pillar of the global economy and a geopolitical actor of first rank. Further integration of China in the multilateral system and the engagement of its leaders in international organizations are therefore very important, Schwab said.

"And this is a mutual relationship: without China, no organization can claim to be truly global or do its work effectively. On the other hand, China will not be able to deal with major global challenges like climate change, international trade or regional security on its own," Schwab said.

Zhang from Addax Petroleum said that by being based in Geneva, it is convenient for his company to manage its oil and gas resources in Africa, the Middle East and Europe. It is also a good location for attracting well-qualified international staff, he said.

Wasescha, who was Swiss ambassador to the World Trade Organization (WTO) from 2007 to 2012, said a normal and more efficient dialogue could be built between China and the rest of the world to avoid conflicts in the process of establishing the new global balance.