Sino-Swiss Free Trade Agreement and its implication for business

Sino-Swiss Free Trade Agreement and its implication for business Go back »

Time

2013-10-08 | 18:30 - 21:30
Venue:

Andaz Shanghai
Address:

88 Songshan Road, Shanghai 200021
Fee:
Members: 250 |
Non Members: 400
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European Union Chamber of Commerce and SwissCham are delighted to invite you to join us for a presentation and discussion about the Sino-Swiss Free Trade Agreement with two keynote speakers on Tuesday, 8 October.

China and Switzerland have officially signed the bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on 6th July 2013. The comprehensive agreement, signed after nearly two years of negotiations, will improve Switzerland’s ability to export goods and services to the rapidly growing Chinese market and strengthen legal certainty for economic exchange. Under the Sino-Swiss FTA, China will grant a lower or even zero duty rates - sometimes subject to transition periods - for imported goods originating from Switzerland.

Since China has not concluded FTAs with other continental European countries yet, the Rules of Origin (RoO) play a particular important role as the Swiss economy is deeply integrated with the European one. Our keynote speakers, Mr. Heinrich Schellenberg, Consul General of Switzerland in Shanghai, and Damon Paling, Partner, Worldtrade Management Services, PwC, will present the implications for the business community behind this Agreement that could be a basis for future similar agreements with other European countries.

Agenda

18:30-19:00 Registration
19:00-20:00 Presentations
20:00-21:30 Cocktail Reception & Casual Networking

Registration
Please register through this website (button above).
For any further enquiries, please contact Ms Zhao Yang at yangzhao@europeanchamber.com.cn or 63852023-117, stating your name and company, by Monday, 7 October 2013 COB.

Event Terms & Conditions
Please note that, though all are welcome to attend our events, we strongly recommend that you register online with us in advance so that we can keep you updated on any changes in the event schedule. From time to time, due to unforeseen circumstances we need to change the time or venue of an advertised event. So please do let us know by registering online if you plan to attend an event so that we can keep you informed.

Speakers

Mr. Damon Paling

Partner, Shanghai, PwC

Mr. Damon Paling

Partner, Shanghai, PwC

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Damon has 15 years experience in Asia advising companies on customs, trade and related supply-chain and logistics matters, the last 9 years of which have been spent in Shanghai, China. Damon assists clients in various areas, including: customs audit and investigation dispute resolution, customs compliance and opportunity reviews, establishing customs-supply chain efficient business models, establishing regional distribution centres, establishing a customs centre of excellence, reverse logistics and low cost sourcing. Damon's China experience is spread across Northern, Central and Southern China and includes Processing Trade (model design, optimisation and handbook management), customs valuation, tariff classification, free trade agreements, bonded zones (Free Trade Zones, Bonded Logistics Parks, Bonded Port Areas, Export Processing Zones, Bonded Warehouses), used capital equipment importation, duty-free capital equipment importation, disposal, sale and transfer of bonded capital equipment, and other duty exemption and reduction policies. Prior to joining PwC, Damon was an Customs Officer with the New Zealand Customs Service, based in Auckland. Damon has a Masters in Customs Law and Administration from the University of Canberra in Australia originally graduated in Business Studies in 1997 from the Auckland University of Technology.

Mr. Heinrich Schellenberg

Consul General of Switzerland in Shanghai

Mr. Heinrich Schellenberg

Consul General of Switzerland in Shanghai

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Heinrich Schellenberg (1964, Zurich) was appointed Consul General of Switzerland in Shanghai on 6th October 2010. He entered the diplomatic service in 1991 after his law studies at the University of Zurich and a financial training at UBS. Following diplomatic internships in Berne, Geneva and Mexico, he worked from 1993 at the Directorate of International Law, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, before being promoted to Deputy Head of the International Law Section in 1995.
Heinrich Schellenberg occupied the positions of Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Switzerland in Thailand (1998) and in Sweden (2001). He was Minister and Deputy Head of the Political Division VI of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in Berne (2004) and acted as Deputy Chief of Mission in Mexico (2007-2010)

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