Shanghai Expo highlights Swiss-Sino cooperation

Economics Minister Doris Leuthard has paid a visit as guest of honour to Switzerland’s exhibits at the Shanghai World Expo.

She took part, along with 400 invited guests, in the celebrations for Swiss National Pavilion Day, as well as to mark the 60th anniversary of bilateral relations between Switzerland and China.

“We are impressed by the Chinese people’s great enthusiasm for the Swiss Pavilion and glad to see that it is one of the most popular national exhibitions at the World Expo,” Leuthard said.

Although popular, the Swiss pavilion’s main attraction, a chair lift, has been beset by technical problems and on Wednesday, a Chinese visitor was injured on it. It was taken out of operation until further notice.

Leuthard is heading a high-ranking Swiss business delegation to China in an effort to consolidate economic relations between the two countries, including environmental aspects.

“I’m pleased that cooperation in environmental issues between China and Switzerland, based on two memorandums of understanding signed last year, are moving ahead,” she added.

swissinfo.ch and agencies