As we enter the era of Globalisation 4.0, the world is undergoing great changes unseen in a century: the rise of emerging economies is redefining the existing global governance system and international order; a new technological revolution and sweeping industrial transformation are fostering fierce competition on a global scale; and new challenges are emerging in areas such as data security and privacy protection. Against this backdrop, a rising tide of anti-globalisation, trade protectionism and unilateralism is generating global political and economic uncertainty and instability.

In recent years, trade between China and Germany has boomed. In 2016, China became Germany’s largest trading partner. In the first half of 2018, China’s trade volume with Germany alone exceeded its combined trade volume with Britain, France, and Italy. Adding to the tally, Germany is one of just a handful of countries to run a trade surplus against China. After gaining early entry to the Chinese market, many German car, consumer electronics, and household goods brands have built up popular followings there, transforming “Made in Germany” into a sign of quality in the minds of middle-class consumers and even outdoing “Made in Japan” and “Made in the USA.” However, despite achieving so many milestones, trade growth between China and Germany has recently begun to stall, and is in need of a new source of impetus.

The Evolution of Innovation, a Comparison between Switzerland and China

The digital economy is boosting productivity and propelling change in retail worldwide. The ‘New Retail’ model promises to offer a ‘one-stop lifestyle community’ that integrates various products and services to meet diverse consumer needs. To remain competitive, US and Chinese online businesses must rely on a process of constant micro-innovation to upgrade their infrastructure and identify and fix user ‘pain points.’

Human society has never been so deeply driven by technological innovation as it is today. Along with the advancement of internet infrastructure, cloud computing and big data have become mainstays of the healthcare industry and VR/AR applications are also gathering momentum in the medical field. The healthcare industry has become both a testing ground and a playing field for a string of emerging technologies. Only by keeping abreast of new technologies for smart healthcare can we spearhead the evolution of the healthcare industry.

Dans un contexte global marqué par l’avènement de l’ère révolutionnaire suite à l’émergence de la technologie numérique, le monde des affaires est mené à la confrontation avec une véritable transformation en cours sans précédent. Le numérique a redéfini la structure industrielle, la modèle organisationnelle et le système de valeurs d’entreprise. Dans le domaine du digital, la Chine sort du commun par ses vision perspective et dynamisme innovateur grâce aux fameux BATHX (Baidu, Tencent, Huawei, Xiaomi) en forte croissance ces dernières années qui ont pour équivalents américains, le clan GAFA (Google, Amazon, Facebook, et Apple). Ces acteurs chinois, dynamiques sur la scène internationale, ont su impressionner le monde dans de nombreux domaines clés, tels que l’intelligence artificielle (IA), le Retail 2.0 et le service médicosocial, démontrant le savoir-faire d’une Chine en tant que puissance digitale émergente. Ce janvier dernier, dans le cadre de la première visite d’Etat du Président français Emmanuel Macron en Chine, les décideurs de haut niveau des deux pays ont expressément inscrit la coopération en termes d’innovation autour de l’IA comme l’un des domaines les plus importants où les deux pays travailleront ensemble. Le 29 mars, à l’occasion de la présentation du rapport intitulé Donner un sens à l’intelligence artificielle: pour une stratégie nationale et européenne du député de l’Essonne Cédric Villani au Président Macron, le Chef d’Etat de l’Hexagone a revalorisé à nouveau l’importance de l’IA et a relevé cette dernière à la hauteur de la stratégie nationale du pays en faisant appel que la France se mobilise pour jouer dans la cour des grands du domaine. Et si la France et la Chine métissent leurs avantages de façon réciproque et inter-bénéfique – l’expertise française en mathématiques et informatique, et la virtuosité chinoise dans les pratiques du Big Data et l’innovation commerciale – nous aurons la raison d’être optimistes que, la technologie de l’IA se verra transformée en intérêts économiques dans tous les secteurs d’affaires.

Under the “Belt and Road Initiative” and “16+1” cooperation framework, China regards Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), a potential driver of European economic growth, as a significant partner and destination for investment. The two sides will step up their cooperation in various fields such as economy and trade, investment, infrastructure construction, finance, energy, tourism, education, agriculture, people-to-people exchange and regional partnerships so as to facilitate mutual exchange and innovation for win-win outcomes.

China’s financial technology (FinTech) is racing on the fast track of development. Many new financial patterns are emerging as new technologies including big data, artificial intelligence, cloud computing and blockchain evolve at breakneck speed. From payment and lending to insurance and wealth management, FinTech is being widely applied in various scenarios in the financial sector. Alibaba and Tencent, the Chinese companies behind AliPay and WeChat, respectively, are gaining ground in the global arena. Their roaring expansion abroad has drawn much attention worldwide to China’s financial technology.

The world is being transformed by a digital revolution. The internet and big data are driving innovation across a spectrum of industries. It is imperative, therefore, for companies – and countries – to grasp opportunities so as to gain a first-mover advantage in the digital age.