on june 25, chemchina held the opening ceremony of “the switzerland theme month” among a series of country themed cultural month activities. his excellency switzerland ambassador mr. de dardel and mr. sun qixin, the principle of china agricultural university are present at the event and delivered speeches.
the theme “discover switzerland: exquisitely breathtaking” accompanied by the garden style venue—decorated with flowers using syngenta seeds such as helianthus interspecific sunfinity, pentas beebright and the switzerland scenery snapshot renders beautiful experience for everyone on site. it is said that this is the “most beautiful cultural theme month” ever. everybody has a taste of the beautiful snow covered mountains, forests and flowers, a full switzerland experience.
this year marks the 68th anniversary of china-switzerland diplomatic relationship. switzerland is among the first countries to start this friendly relationship. china is switzerland’s no.1 trading partner in asia and no.3 partner in the world. chemchina is honored to be part of this journey. on june 2017, chemchina has a new family member, syngenta a crop protection giant located in switzerland; on april this year, we strengthened cooperation with mercuria; on may this year, mr. ambassador jean-jacques de dardel visited chemchina headquarter. during his visit, he spoke highly of chemchina syngenta acquisition and expressed that he would like to see more extensive cooperation in the future.
mr. ren jianxin, chairman of chemchina also spoke highly of the switzerland spirit that features exquisite beauty. he mentioned that switzerland is not only renowned as “nation of gardens” but also famous for its innovation capability in manufacturing and engineering, which gains switzerland worldwide respect. for seven consecutive years, switzerland ranks no. 1 in terms of global innovation index which is the foundation of “made in switzerland” spirit. one common feature shared between syngenta and other swiss companies is the consistent pursuit for excellence in areas of expertise. chairman ren stressed that although switzerland has the most advanced manufacturing industry, it also has the most protected environment and ecological system. this model requires extensive study by china because we need to learn to how to drive economic growth while at the same time maintaining a fine environment.
his excellency ambassador jean-jacques de dardel highly praised the significance of “switzerland theme month” as well as chemchina’s international management philosophy. ambassador de dardel expressed that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between china and switzerland, the two countries have engaged in extensive exchange around trade, science, technology, culture, and that he is extremely moved by the deep respect that the two countries and its people have for each other, as well as the deep trust that has taken root. ambassador de dardel hopes that in the future the two countries can continuously boost the extensive and deep collaboration and friendship. he also shared with enthusiasm the different attractions of switzerland, as well other features that are less known, such as per capital wine and chocolate consumption ranks 5th and 1st respectively, and is also country that does have a good sense of humor.
as chemchina’s strategic partner, china agricultural university president prof. sun qixin attended the opening ceremony. he said that, switzerland is known for its innovation, and is a source of attraction and respect. syngenta joining the chemchina group represents a crucial opportunity to promote chinese agricultural development through innovation. as the best chinese university for agricultural technologies and innovation, we look forward to working with chemchina, and jointly embarking on a journey to promote agricultural development, technology advancement through innovation, ultimately ensuring the high quality and efficiency of chinese agriculture.
in celebration of the opening ceremony of “switzerland theme month”, syngenta ceo erik fyrwald brought us a precious gift from switzerland---a cowbell. cowbells not only reflect the essence of swiss culture, but also boasts the gene for made in switzerland as it requires 4 to 5 hours of sophisticated hand and process expertise. this cowbell will also serve as a constant reminder for chemchina to “stay true to our original aspirations”, and continuously contribute to the wellbeing of growers around the world and to agricultural development.
in china, syngenta has always stayed true to this mission, supporting the sustainable development of chinese agriculture. syngenta china head mr. andrew guthrie launched the 4th year results of the syngenta “good growth plan” during the “switzerland theme month” event: significant reduction in the usage of pesticide and ghg emissions, for the past 4 years, syngenta’s reference farm has recorded a 39% increase in its pesticide efficiency (used pesticide quantity per unit of crop produced), and a 19% reduction in ghg emission per unit of crop produced.
the “switzerland theme month” will also organize a series of cultural and management sharing activities focusing on syngenta and she, helping chemchina employees to acquire a better understanding of switzerland and syngenta.
for many years, chemchina has focused on the principle of openness and sharing, following a path of “going global”, making long strides in international collaboration. as a number of globally reputable and technology advanced overseas companies gradually joined the group, including syngenta, chemchina has shaped a new global industry footprint around life science, material science and environmental science segments. chemchina has evolved into a highly global state owned enterprise, and therefore it’s vital to strengthen understanding and communication among employees of the group. this also represents the rationale for hosting different theme month events.
the “switzerland theme month” is already the sixth event of its kind that chemchina has hosted. as an important brand event in chemchina’s efforts for cultural integration, it has received praise from employees and friends at home and abroad, thereby laying a solid foundation for the cultural integration and synergy creation.
