A dialogue on how to develop economy in mountainous areas between Guizhou province in Southwest China and Switzerland was held in the provincial city of Guiyang on July 8.

The dialogue was part of the Eco Forum Annual Conference held from July 8 to 10. Experts, scholars and government officials from the two countries were invited to take part. Under the theme of “Mountainous-area Economy, Green Development”, participants held in-depth discussions on the topics of “Innovative Cooperation, Mutual Benefit” and “Transformation Upgrade, Ecological Construction”.

Nektarios Palaskas from the Swiss Embassy in China said at a press conference on July 7 that Guizhou and Switzerland share many common grounds. He also expressed his hope for cooperation with Guizhou in vocational education and explained that his country has rich experience in that field.

In response to Palaskas’ speech, Ma Lei, vice-head of the Guizhou Provincial Commerce Department, said that the forum would boost the two sides’ cooperation. “Guizhou is developing big data and health industries and we can learn from Switzerland’s experiences in data collection and technologies and management models related to medical industries,” added Ma.

Three symposiums are scheduled to discuss the two sides’ cooperation in cross-cultural management, investment opportunities, medical technology and enterprise management.

Nektarios Palaskas from the Swiss Embassy in China recommends further dialogue between Guizhou and Switzerland at a press conference in Guiyang on July 7. [Photo/efglobal.org.cn]