Soldier of diplomacy from the land of cheese and chocolate
Andrea Jacomelli is part of a phenomenon known as the "fifth Switzerland". The Beijing-based international affairs expert is part of the 10 percent of Swiss who live abroad. But despite having spent the past 11 years traveling the world, Jacomelli's loyalties lie firmly with his Central European homeland.
Executive director of the Swiss Chinese Chamber of Commerce Beijing, Jacomelli says it is a "source of pride" to be representing business interests of the country best known for chocolate, luxury watches and high-end banking.
The first Swiss multinationals to move to China in the 1980s included Nestle, ABB, Novartis and Georg Fischer. Smaller enterprises are increasingly joining the big names, says Jacomelli, with China a ready consumer of Swiss engineering and manufacturing, precision instruments and jewelry, chemicals and appliances. Swisscham Beijing was established in 1995 and has 170 members.
Searching for the most suitable English word to describe his devotion to global diplomacy, Jacomelli first offers the French word, "vocation" which, in this context, means a person's "calling" to a certain cause.
"My passion is for international affairs and diplomacy," he says. "Diplomacy is a set of values such as ethics that shall guide you in your daily life and business.
"I believe it is also a call to be part of the big changes in our world, to represent your country abroad. In the case of Switzerland it is fascinating to see how our business style and the Swiss humanitarian tradition coincide."
Jacomelli hails from Bellinzona in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino. He studied international affairs in Canada, has worked for the Swiss Embassy in Vienna, and toured through Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
In true national spirit, he is still serving as an infantry officer in the Swiss Armed Forces. He arrived in Beijing nine months ago, and plans to stay in China for at least the next few years before moving on.
"I think traveling would be the best to continue my career. I don't see myself staying anywhere for now, but I do believe my stay in China may be 3 or 4 years," he says.
Switzerland, which despite its location is not a member of the European Union, grants voting rights to its citizens living overseas.
This group forms the fifth Switzerland, with the other four referring to the country's linguistic areas, where people primarily speak German, French, Italian, and English, which Jacomelli says is becoming more frequently used, especially among the younger generations. Jacomelli speaks all these languages as well as Spanish, and is learning Chinese.
According to the Swiss Embassy, connections between Switzerland and China were made as long ago as the mid-17th century, between traders and missionaries. Trade relations developed in the second half of the 18th century, leading in 1912 to the opening of a Swiss trading agency in Shanghai.
(China Daily 06/22/2007 page19)
