On April 18 Reuters published a new article “China’s electric car drive, led by BYD, leaves global brands behind”
Ten days earlier during the Insight China visit to Shenzhen our first stop was at BYD (Build Your Dreams) where we had a guided tour of the company. BYD is one of China’s leading new energy vehicle companies and designs and manufactures batteries, EV and hybrid cars, commercial vehicles and mass transit systems with buses and small trains. We got some insights on how a company can begin small in the battery industry and develop itself to a successful car manufacturer and more (rail transit, renewable energy and electronics).
Shortly before noon we visited the Shenzhen Technology University SZTU as the first Europe delegation to visit the campus since the reopening of the borders. We were already able to meet some of the students online during our seminar in Switzerland and were very happy to finally meet them in person after almost two months. We were warmly and enthusiastically welcomed by 60 SZTU students and had lunch with them. Afterwards, we were introduced to the university and shown some of the workshops. The students can not only make ice cream or soap themselves, but also have a workshop where they can test race cars.
It was impressive to see how big the university campus is and to learn how students live on campus. Not too far away are student apartments with, for example, a fitness center. However, cooking is not an issue for most of them, because the several dining halls on campus allow students to eat there every day.
The University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland is very proud of its partnership with SZTU, so it was an honor for Insight China 2023 to visit the university. The importance of this partnership has also attracted media attention, as the NZZ accompanied us on the visit. In addition, a local journalist conducted interviews with selected delegates from Insight China and with our Supervisor Prof. Michael Jeive. We are very proud that Insight China was able to travel to China again in 2023 and look forward to the years to come. At this point, a big thank you to the Shenzhen Technology University for welcoming us.
On our second trip to Shenzhen, we visited Shenzhen Foreign Affairs Service Center. We got a better understanding of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and its importance. It is to become an integrated economic area that is to play a leading role worldwide by 2035. We also have received exciting information about the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Cooperation in science and technology innovation.
