Raphael ZUMSTEG-YUAN
Legal Manager of Chongging Fenshare, operator of SinoSwiss Technopark, President of the SwissCham Southwest, and President of the Chinese Alumni Association of the University of Geneva
Zumsteg said,
"My family, like me, loves Chongqing very much. In the future, I hope more family members will visit Chongqing."
In 2023, Chongqing marks ten years as a sister city with Zurich. "Chongqing and Zurich are supportive partners and I hope we can do more in the future!" SSTP's Zumsteg-Yuan, a Zurich native, spoke to us about his role in the friendship between the two cities, as well as life in Chongqing.
"China has more development opportunities"
Zumsteg has a wide range of professional knowledge and is proficient in several languages including German, English, Chinese, and French. He studied economics and philosophy at the University of Bayreuth in Germany, and later pursued law at the Law School of the University of Geneva in Switzerland. He came to China in 2018 and studied for a Master's degree in Civil and Commercial Law at the Law School of Peking University. He received a scholarship from the Beijing Municipal Government at that time.
"My wife and I come from different countries, so after we were together, we were considering where to live and work. At that time, we felt that China had more opportunities," said Zumsteg.
At the end of 2021, Zumsteg became a legal manager at SinoSwiss Technopark, responsible for the company's cross-border legal affairs, as well as various international cooperation and investment plans.
"Looking forward to more Chongqing-Zurich exchange and cooperation"
“Zurich has Lake Zurich and the Alps, while Chongqing has the Yangtze River and Jialing River flowing through. It also has the unique scenery of Nanshan and Jinyun Mountains.” In Zumsteg's view, both cities are characterised by their mountains and rivers, and have important geographical advantages.
Zumsteg said that Zurich placed a lot of importance on exchange with Chongqing. He showed selected contents posted on the Zurich state website, including reports on establishing sister city relationship with Chongqing, as well as reports on the Chongqing delegation's visit to Zurich in 2018.
Chongqing and Zurich have maintained close exchanges for 10 years. This year, Chongqing invited Zurich companies to participate in the 2023 Smart China Expo and the “SSTP Cup” International Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition.
"Chongqing is the one and only!"
Having worked and lived in Chongqing for nearly five years, Zumsteg has a strong preference for Chongqing. He said, "I have been to many cities and feel that they are all similar, but Chongqing is really the one and only! In Chongqing, no matter which area I am in, it is really completely different."
"I really like this city. It is certainly convenient and the quality of life is very high." Zumsteg said, "In recent years, Chongqing has developed rapidly." In terms of work, many administrative procedures can now be processed online.