Swiss president plans three-nation tour in Asia

Singapore's President Tony Tan Keng Yam visited Switzerland in 2014 Keystone

Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann will travel to Singapore for a first-time state visit next week, and then pay an official visit to South Korea, before ending his Asian tour in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar.

This content was published on July 5, 2016 - 11:54

2 minutes

swissinfo.ch

The visit comes at a time of increasing competition between countries like Switzerland and Singapore, which serve as financial centres where the world’s wealthy park their riches, despite tax evasion scandals ending banking secrecy.

Switzerland remains the world’s leading destination for cross-border wealth management, but smaller Asian centres, such as Hong Kong and Singapore, are growing fast. The state visit to Singapore, a first for a Swiss president, is planned for the 11th to 13th of July.

Schneider-Ammann, who is also Economics Minister, will be received by President Tony Tan Keng Yam – who visited Switzerland in 2014 – and by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

He is also scheduled to hold official talks with Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, and Trade and Industry Minister Lim Hng Kiang.

“This is an expression of the close cooperation between the two countries and comes ahead of the 50th anniversary of bilateral relations in 2017,” the Swiss government said in a statement released on TuesdayExternal link.

European-Asian ties

Amid the rise of Asia’s new super-rich, Switzerland considers rival banking centre Singapore as its most important trading partner within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The two plan to discuss new business and science opportunities.

Direct relations with South Korea have intensified in all areas in recent years, according to the Swiss government, which hopes for more exchanges in education, research and technical innovation. During his visit to Seoul, Schneider-Ammann will meet with President Park Geun-hye, and open the third Swiss-Korean Life Science Symposium.

In Mongolia, Schneider-Ammann will attend the 11th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), from the 15th to 16th of July, for informal talks on a range of political, economic and cultural issues. Switzerland has taken part in the forum since 2012.

How can we avoid AI being monopolised by powerful countries and companies?

AI has the potential to solve many of the world's problems. But the wealthiest countries and tech firms may seek to hoard these benefits.

Join the discussion

Nov 7, 2024

14 Likes

12 Comments

View the discussion

Is artificial intelligence an advantage or a disadvantage for workers?

What is your experience with AI at work? Have you already used it? Has it helped you work better? Or has it caused you more stress, more work or caused you to lose your job? Tell us about your experiences!

Join the discussion

Sep 11, 2024

8 Comments

View the discussion

What is the future of Swiss neutrality?

Is Swiss neutrality misunderstood? Or has the Swiss model of neutrality now become obsolete?

Join the discussion

Sep 13, 2024

322 Likes

204 Comments

View the discussion

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

Swissnex to close Singapore office

This content was published on Jun 26, 2015 The State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) said that the Singapore office, established in 2004, had completed its work. But it also acknowledged that the need to expand the network into new countries, coupled with budgetary restraints, had played a role in the decision. Singapore was the third location selected for a Swissnex…

UBS hands Singapore client details to US

This content was published on Jun 23, 2016 The case apparently breaks down another barrier that had frustrated the attempts of the US to track down tax cheats. The US had earlier forced Switzerland to dismantle its banking secrecy laws to hand over files on Swiss-based accounts. But prosecutors have not found it so easy to obtain information of Swiss bank clients with…

Swiss mark 60 years of military presence in Korea

This content was published on Jul 26, 2013 This week André Blattman, head of the Swiss armed forces, will mark the sixtieth anniversary of the signing of the ceasefire agreement that ended the Korean War with a visit to the border at Panmunjom. While that truce brought about an end to the armed conflict, there is still no formal peace treaty between the…

A bridge between Switzerland and Mongolia

This content was published on Oct 18, 2014 Fifty years on from Switzerland's first diplomatic relations with Mongolia, a photo exhibition showcases what links the two countries – and what separates them.

Strong SMEs key to Switzerland’s economic success

This content was published on Sep 2, 2012 The Swiss economy has continued to grow despite the three-year-old European debt crisis that began in Ireland and Greece and spread to Italy and Spain. For the past six years, the Swiss government has run budget surpluses, even while suffering a recession during the financial crisis in 2008 when it was forced to bail out…

Swiss president plans three-nation tour in Asia

European-Asian ties

Most Discussed

More

How can we avoid AI being monopolised by powerful countries and companies?

More

Is artificial intelligence an advantage or a disadvantage for workers?