28 Ambassador talk Mr Godet, if you had 24 hours to yourself in Beijing, how would you spend them? I would definitely pay another visit to the various temples around the city. The Lama Temple and the Temple of Confucius are my personal favourites, along with the Fayuan Temple – especially for its fabulous collection of buddhas. There are some fine temples in the mountains to the west of the city, too. Go there and you’ll really feel you’re in China: sometimes in Beijing 顾博礼先生,作为瑞士驻华大使, 您百务缠身。想象一下,如果您有24小时 属于您自己的时间,您会在北京做什么? 毫无疑问,我将会游览城市里各个寺 庙。我最喜欢的是雍和宫、孔庙和法源 寺。我特别喜欢法源寺里所收藏的佛像。 还有北京西面郊区的山上有很漂亮的寺 庙。在哪里给予我人在中国的感觉。有的 时候,在北京市区的感觉跟美国的城市差 不多。或者我会在北京的公园里散步。北 Five questions to Blaise Godet Information Blaise Godet (64) has been based in Beijing since 2008 as Switz- erland’s ambassador to China, Mongolia and North Korea. In previous assignments he was stationed in Geneva as Switzer- land’s ambassador to the United Nations, in Cairo, where he was responsible for Egypt, Sudan and Eritrea, and in Bangkok, where his remit com- prised Thailand, Laos, Myanmar and Cam- bodia. He is a quali- fied attorney, having studied law in his hometown of Neu- châtel. Blaise Godet is married and has a daughter, a son and two grandchildren. He will retire in the summer of 2012. (Blaise Godet)2008 年成为瑞士驻北京大 使,负责中国、蒙古 和朝鲜的事务。此 前,他是瑞士日内瓦 驻联合国的大使。之 后作为瑞士大使被派 驻埃及开罗(负责埃 及、苏丹和厄立特里 亚)和泰国曼谷(负 责泰国、老挝、缅甸 和柬埔寨)。他曾在 他的故乡纳沙泰尔接 受大学教育并成为一 位合格的律师。顾博 礼先生已婚,有一个 女儿,一个儿子和两 个孙子。他将在2012 年夏天退休。 Text: Tanya König, Photo: Pawel Maciejewski
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28 Ambassador talk
Mr Godet, if you had 24 hours to yourself inBeijing, how would you spend them?
I would definitely pay another visit to the various temples around the city. The Lama Temple and the Temple of Confucius are my personal favourites, along with the Fayuan Temple – especially for its fabulous collection of buddhas. There are some fine temples in the mountains to the west of the city, too. Go there and you’ll really feel you’re in China: sometimes in Beijing
顾博礼先生,作为瑞士驻华大使,
您百务缠身。想象一下,如果您有24小时
属于您自己的时间,您会在北京做什么?
毫无疑问,我将会游览城市里各个寺
庙。我最喜欢的是雍和宫、孔庙和法源
寺。我特别喜欢法源寺里所收藏的佛像。
还有北京西面郊区的山上有很漂亮的寺
庙。在哪里给予我人在中国的感觉。有的
时候,在北京市区的感觉跟美国的城市差
不多。或者我会在北京的公园里散步。北
Five questions to Blaise Godet
InformationBlaise Godet (64) has been based in Beijing since 2008 as Switzerland’s ambassador to China, Mongolia and North Korea. In previous assignments he was stationed in Geneva as Switzerland’s ambassador to the United Nations, in Cairo, where he was responsible for Egypt, Sudan and Eritrea, and in Bangkok, where his remit comprised Thailand, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia. He is a qualified attorney, having studied law in his hometown of Neuchâtel. Blaise Godet is married and has a daughter, a son and two grandchildren. He will retire in the summer of 2012.
(Blaise Godet)2008
年成为瑞士驻北京大
使,负责中国、蒙古
和朝鲜的事务。此
前,他是瑞士日内瓦
驻联合国的大使。之
后作为瑞士大使被派
驻埃及开罗(负责埃
及、苏丹和厄立特里
亚)和泰国曼谷(负
责泰国、老挝、缅甸
和柬埔寨)。他曾在
他的故乡纳沙泰尔接
受大学教育并成为一
位合格的律师。顾博
礼先生已婚,有一个
女儿,一个儿子和两
个孙子。他将在2012
年夏天退休。
Text: Tanya König, Photo: Pawel Maciejewski
Ambassador talk 29
you could just as easily be in a city in the USA. I might spend some of the time strolling in the parks, too. Not many people know it, but Beijing is like London: it has a lot of green spaces.
How do you feel about SWISS’s new nonstop service between Zurich and Beijing?
I’m delighted! The new services are bound to intensify bilateral relations between Switzerland and China: the new nonstop flight will be a huge boost in political, trade and cultural exchange terms. And it will, of course, help to promote tourist travel, too. I feel that the introduction of the new service reflects the quality of the relations between our two countries. SWISS is, like our embassy’s visa desk, a calling card for Switzerland: if a customer has little idea of the country, it’s the welcome they get – at our desk or as they step aboard – that will form their first impression.
What do you think Chinese visitors expect from Switzerland?
I think many of them still associate the place with “Heidi”. They want mountains and unspoilt landscapes. I have nothing against this. On the contrary: it’s a good starting point for discovering our country. But Switzerland is much more than “Heidi”: it’s high tech, too! And I would like the Chinese to come to see Switzerland more as a possible partner in the education, research and innovation fields.
And what would you like Swiss visitors to see in China?
The complexity of the country. China is more than Beijing, Shanghai and Xian. It also has underdeveloped provinces that need to be helped forward. In some ways it’s still a poor country, but one with phenom enal potential. And it’s a nation that’s de termined to continue its social and eco nomic development. I would like my fellow Swiss to see and feel this energy, and take some of it with them, too. And I urge them all to engage themselves more with this fascinating country!
What has been your personal highlight since you took up your post here?
The moment Switzerland and China agreed to start talks on a freetrade agree ment. It’s vitally important for both our countries to maintain and intensify their exchange. Because doing so can substantially open up Swiss access to the Chinese market and Chinese access to the Swiss. ·