Editor's Note

On the afternoon of February 23, the 16th Great Wall Friendship Award Ceremony and Symposium was held at the Shougang Park. A total of 15 foreign nationals representing diverse sectors including economy, finance, science and technology, education, medical and healthcare, culture, and sports, won the award.

The Great Wall Friendship Award stands as the only and most prestigious honor bestowed by Beijing Municipality upon foreign nationals in the city. During its 16 sessions, a total of 221 individuals from 32 countries have received this accolade.

Who are they? What outstanding contributions have they made to Beijing? What do they think about Beijing? What advice do they have for Beijing's high-quality development? Let's have a look.

We are really warmed by "Beijing services"

"Beijing has achieved remarkable development and holds immense potential to sustain economic growth in the medium to long term," said Juergen Peter Schmitz, CEO of ERGO (China) Management Company Limited, who is very upbeat about the company's prospects in the city.

As one of the most important insurance groups in Germany and Europe, ERGO entered the Chinese market in 2005 and established its China headquarters in Beijing in 2019. As a former student of Peking University over two decades ago, Schmitz came to work in Beijing seven years ago. He was highly inspired by the 16th Beijing Great Wall Friendship Award.

Bearing witness to the rapid economic development and maturation of the insurance market in China, Mr. Schmitz believes that surging economic growth and a booming insurance industry are mutually reinforcing, and as people's quality of life continues to improve, the vast Chinese market presents tremendous possibilities. Last year, ERGO FESCO, a joint venture between ERGO Group and Beijing Foreign Enterprise Human Resources Service Co., Ltd. (FESCO), was founded in Beijing, becoming one of the first foreign-funded companies to obtain an insurance brokerage license since 2018.

The license further completes the company's business landscape in China. "The development of Beijing's financial industry has generated a cluster effect, as it is home to national financial regulators of all types. The concentration of domestic and foreign financial institutions has created a highly competitive market environment. With China's top-notch universities and colleges, the city has pooled a large number of outstanding talents. These factors are mutually reinforcing, giving Beijing's financial industry unparalleled advantages that are also crucial to ERGO's development," he said with excitement.

"It would be impossible to run this business here without the strong support of governments and departments at all levels in Beijing," he emphasized. When mentioning "Beijing services", Schmitz used the word "warm" twice. "Beijing's business environment greatly facilitates the development of foreign businesses. Relevant departments reached out to us, inquiring about our challenges and offering assistance for our operations and growth. This warm gesture has made us feel extremely welcomed."

The laureate is also impressed by the significant transformation of the city. He noted that "the increasingly well-developed infrastructure, the remarkable improvement in air quality over the past decade, and the clear waters of the Liangma River and other areas have greatly enhanced the livability of the city”. For him, "the key to maintaining Beijing's unique appeal in the future also lies in blending the charm of traditional culture with modern fashion. While striving to become a vibrant and dynamic cosmopolitan city, it is equally important to preserve the historical features and traditional culture".

"Our confidence in Beijing's future is precisely why we chose Beijing to build our China headquarters and the headquarters of our two companies in China," explained Schmitz. He also emphasized that the company will stay committed to Beijing and continue to expand its footprint by leveraging the edge of the city's financial sector and the opening-up policies of the "two zones".