OUR MISSION

“The ’Asian Century’ cannot be purely Asian.” This was the key message of Bilahari Kausikan as he delivered this year’s State of Asia Address in Zurich. Instead of focusing on the binary trope of a rising East and declining West, the former Singaporean diplomat urged us to look at Asia as a model for an increasingly multipolar world.

Asia’s challenges and opportunities matter to the world. They matter to Europe. They matter to us here in Switzerland. Engaging with Asia and developing Asia Competence is more important than ever.

At Asia Society Switzerland, we remain committed to delivering Asia Competence by offering strategic intelligence on the region, education and training, as well as networking opportunities. We are grateful for the ongoing support of our Corporate Members, Patrons, Members, and Partners, without whom our work would not be possible. Thank you!

2023 IN PICTURES

OUR VALUE PROPOSITIONS

STORIES

FROM 2023

One of the big questions that run through the young 21st century is the China challenge. It seems, by now China has become a “partner, economic competitor, and systemic rival” – as the European Union puts it – in every corner of the world. The challenge can be most acutely felt in one place: Taiwan.

The cross-Strait relation is a complicated mix: economically and technologically interwoven, politically and militarily on a confrontational trajectory – all with active international involvement that is shaped by domestic developments in these countries.

Because of the outsized importance of the topic and the dynamics of the elections in Taiwan in January 2024, we decided for the first time to not just host a program but to dedicate a whole fellowship to it. In September 2023, we nominated Dr. Simona Grano, Associate Professor at the University of Zurich, as Asia Society Switzerland’s first TOY Senior Fellow at Asia Society Policy Institute's Center for China Analysis (CCA) in New York.

During the 6-month fellowship, Dr. Grano published two papers on the 2024 Taiwan elections, participated in a series of events hosted by the global Asia Society network, was interviewed by numerous media outlets – both national and international, and gave briefings to decision makers from the private sector and government in closed-door settings.

The TOY Senior Fellowship was made possible with the generous support from Max and Monique Burger, Hong Kong & TOY family.

STORIES FROM 2023

A testament to the program's lasting impact is the Gen A Alumni Community. Built up in the past two years by Francis Müller from our first cohort, together with many others, this community extends the Gen A experience beyond a single year, fostering long-term connections and growth through dedicated volunteer efforts.

Simultaneously, our Gen A Alumni have excelled this year in various roles. Elisa Cadelli, now the president of Switzerland's leading foreign policy think tank foraus, hosted our Jade Dinner in June, making it a memorable evening for our partners and supporters. Isabelle Zheng expertly moderated the Asia Sustainability Dialogue in August, a collaborative initiative with the Swiss Re Institute. Jonas Rüegg has been broadening his expertise on Japanese history within the global Asia Society network, earning

recognition as an Asia 21 fellow. Meanwhile, Martín Mosteiro Romero utilized the inaugural Gen A Alumni Travel Grant, supported by IMP AG, to conduct research in Seoul on urban climate and residents' comfort levels.

In just four short years, we have built up a thriving community that not only benefits the Gen A Alumni but also adds significant value to Asia Society Switzerland and to the upcoming generation of Gen A Fellows who are set to embark on their journey in February 2024.

STORIES FROM 2023

The library at the Asia Society Switzerland office boasts a small yet impressive collection of books related to Asia – from Peter Frankopan’s The Silk Roads to Iran Modern by Fereshteh Daftari and Layla S. Diba. Many of the authors of these works have graced our library with their presence and shared their expertise and stories with us and our Members.

On a shelf near the top stands a figurine, its eyes cast down, a solemn expression visible behind a thick moustache. It depicts no one other than Lu Xun (1881 – 1936), commonly considered the greatest author in 20th century Chinese literature.

While we did not have the privilege (or the possibility) of hosting Lu Xun for a talk at our library, we did have the exceptional honor of hosting the creator of this statuette for a conversation in Zurich: Yan Lianke, himself also a writer.

One of China’s most internationally acclaimed authors, Yan Lianke has written numerous novels and short-story collections, including Serve the People!, Dream of Ding Village and Lenin’s Kisses. He currently lives and writes in Beijing. In July this year, he visited us in Zurich for a Big Picture event on contemporary China – and, on the occasion, brought us a self-crafted statue of one of his most admired compatriotic authors.

Hearing directly from Yan Lianke about life in contemporary China, his work as an author and his view on his home country was a unique and refreshing chance to get a firsthand and exceptionally eloquent insight into a country so often discussed and yet so often misunderstood.

STORIES FROM 2023

One challenge when trying to understand Asia better is not that there is not enough information – it’s that there is too much. At Asia Society Switzerland, we see it as our job to help by curating the right information, and connecting the dots. And that’s the ambition of our flagship conference STATE OF ASIA, which we hosted for the second time this year. STATE OF ASIA brings together 150 leaders from business, government, and academia, to discuss the key developments in Asia, and how they affect us.

At STATE OF ASIA 2023, hosted again in partnership with Swiss Re at their beautiful Centre for Global Dialogue, we discussed the dawning age of multipolarity and hedging; the state of the Chinese economy; provided an outlook on four key elections of next year; considered India’s role in the world, the development of Russia-China relations, among many other things.

Executive sessions went deep on China’s political and economic relationship with the rest of the region. Speakers included Singaporean diplomatic legend Bilahari Kausikan; Chinese economist Keyu Jin; former German Vice-Chancellor Philipp Rösler; Financial Times correspondent Mercedes Ruehl; and many more. Videos and summaries of all sessions are available on our website.

STATE OF ASIA is quickly becoming the one unmissable event in our yearly program, and a gathering place for the Asia-interested communities in Switzerland and across Europe. For us, it is an opportunity to take stock of our work, and focus on what’s most important and relevant to our audience.

STATE OF ASIA returns on November 7, 2024. Save the date!

2023 IN NUMBERS

THANK YOU

OUR SPEAKERS

We are grateful to all the speakers from Asia, Europe, and the U.S. who took time out of their busy schedules to share their insights and experiences.

THANK YOU

Our work would not be possible without the generous contributions from our Corporate Members and Patrons, as well as the invaluable support from our various Partners. We firmly believe that collaboration is essential for achieving our mission to foster Asia Competence in Switzerland. That’s why we are proud to collaborate with organizations, companies, and stakeholders across a broad spectrum of sectors.

PATRONS

JÜRG SCHÄPPI

RAYMOND J. BAER

MAX AND MONIQUE BURGER & THE TOY

FAMILY, HONG KONG

MARTIN BISANG

JÜRG CONZETT

DOMINIK KELLER

ESTHER HEER-ZACEK

KARIN & STEFAN WIEDERKEHR / IMP AG

PETER WEIBEL

EUNICE ZEHNDER-LAI

CORPORATE MEMBERS

PLATINUM MEMBERS

THE ADECCO GROUP

CREDIT SUISSE

DIETHELM KELLER GROUP

DKSH

JULIUS BAER

SWISS RE

UBS

ZURICH INSURANCE

GOLD MEMBERS

BERGOS

DARUNA HOLDING AG

ERNST BASLER PARTNER (EBP)

HOMBURGER

SHL MEDICAL

VONTOBEL

VP BANK

SILVER MEMBERS

ACQUPART HOLDING

PARTNERS

ETH ZURICH

UNIVERSITY OF ZURICH

EUROPA INSTITUT

HIRZEL.NEEF.SCHMID.COUNSELORS

IMD – INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR

MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT

KARL DER GROSSE – DAS DEBATTIERHAUS

KPMG AG, SWITZERLAND

MUSEUM RIETBERG

SINOKULTUR

ZENTRUM FÜR LITERARISCHE GEGENWART

OUR MEMBERS

We are truly grateful for the support and engagement of all our Members. Only with a joint effort as a community can we reach our goal to prepare Switzerland for a deeper and more sustainable engagement with Asia.

OUR BOARD

ADRIAN T. KELLER

CHAIRMAN

PATRICK BALKANYI

PROF. DR. MICHAEL HENGARTNER

DR. PETER F. WEIBEL

RAYMOND J. BAER

VICE CHAIRMAN

NICOLA FORSTER

DR. ULI SIGG

EUNICE ZEHNDER-LAI

STEFAN BUTZ

DKSH

MARKUS DIETHELM

NICOLAS OLTRAMARE

BETTINA SCHALLER

THE ADECCO GROUP

OUR TEAM

NICO LUCHSINGER

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

MADELAINE WIEBALCK

EXECUTIVE PROGRAMS MANAGER

REMKO TANIS

PROGRAMS AND EDITORIAL MANAGER

ÉMILIE LUTHRINGER

PROJECT MANAGER (SINCE OCT 2023)

SERENA JUNG

PROGRAMS AND COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR

REBECCA FARNER

OUTREACH AND COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

MANUELA COLDESINA

OPERATIONS MANAGER

ANNA AIKO BIRRER

PROJECT MANAGER (UNTIL OCT 2023)

KEY DATES 2024

IMPRESSUM

TEXT: ASIA SOCIETY SWITZERLAND

PHOTOS: ANDRÉ HENGST, ON-EYES-PHOTOGRAPHY.CH

OR COURTESY OF THE SPEAKERS

ASIASOCIETY.ORG/SWITZERLAND