Berne is Switzerland's second most populous canton, the country's political center, and the site of the Federal Government and Parliament.

It is also an important economic center, with a number of multinationals and countless small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

In 2010, the annual Mercer Quality of Living Survey ranked Berne among the top 10 cities worldwide for quality of life.

"It is important to note that the Canton of Berne's spectacular setting, its history, and the diverse demographics are major reasons the region has such a wide-ranging and varied economy," said Andreas Rickenbacher, the canton's minister of Economic Affairs.

While Berne is mostly known as Switzerland's political epicenter, it is also a very strong business location, well-positioned in the energy, environmental technology, ICT, medical, precision and watch industries, Rickenbacher added.

"The watch industry started hundreds of years ago in the Canton of Berne, and out of those precision skills came the energy and environmental technology, medical and ICT sectors. Precision know-how is the backbone of the industrial production now in the canton," he explained.

That precision know-how, coupled with the canton's role as the seat of Swiss government, its advanced infrastructure, and a population that is fluent in both German and French are primary reasons for industry giants such as Rolex, Omega, Swatch, Ebay, Pepsico, ZTE and Huawei to base their operations here.

Rickenbacher also pointed to the region's universities, which generate new projects that benefit the canton's economy, and also turn out highly skilled graduates.

So, the canton has many distinct advantages for multinationals, and in addition, has the support of the Berne Economic Development Agency to help corporations looking to relocate to Switzerland.

"Huawei Technologies established operations here because they valued the closeness to the federal administration," Rickenbacher said, while indicating the crucial role infrastructure plays.

"Berne has excellent air connections, with its own airport at Berne-Belp, and three others (Geneva, Basel, Zurich) within an hour's ride by road or rail."

Berne is also the founder of Switzerland's "cluster policy". Rickenbacher explained this by saying, "Fifteen years ago, we built clusters of different sectors, which encouraged a lot of SMEs. So, it's no surprise that SMEs now come up with innovative projects, design fruitful networks and work closely together."

Berne's history, its central location, and natural surroundings make it an excellent destination for tourists as well. In fact, the city center was designated a UNESCO World Culture Heritage site in 1983 in recognition of its rich cultural and architectural history.

The city is a mere 20 kilometers from the Swiss Alps, which preside over the region, with their great peaks, the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau. Europe's highest railway station, on the Jungfraujoch, can be reached from Interlaken via 'Kleine Scheidegg'.

"The canton was present at the 2010 World Exhibition in Shanghai, where we did a very good job in promoting it. We've almost doubled the number of Chinese visitors here since 2010, and believe that we delivered a positive image of the region," Rickenbacher concluded.

(China Daily 07/12/2011 page18)