China edges closer to free trade update with Switzerland
Renewed free trade talks between China and Switzerland could shortly resume.
Keystone / Mark Schiefelbein / Pool
China and Switzerland signed a joint declaration on Monday agreeing to deepen their partnership after Premier Li Qiang met the Swiss President, the Swiss government said.
Li, the most senior Chinese official to visit Switzerland since President Xi Jinping’s visit in 2017, met President Viola Amherd alongside a high-ranking Chinese delegation ahead of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
The declaration entails the finalisation of a joint study to develop the two countries’ existing free trade agreement. “This marks an important step towards the start of possible negotiations,” the Swiss government said.
China is Switzerland’s third-biggest trading partner after the United States and the European Union. The two countries signed a free trade agreement in 2013, Beijing’s first such deal with an economy in continental Europe.
But efforts to refresh it previously stalled amid reports of concerns about China’s human rights record.
A dialogue between the Swiss and Chinese foreign ministries will resume this year and is set to include human rights.
Li and Amherd, who met in an 18th century manor house near the capital Bern, also discussed Russia’s war against Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict, the Swiss statement said.
More
More
Li Keqiang: the ex-Chinese premier who wanted open trade with Switzerland
This content was published on
The former Chinese premier died on Friday but his legacy lives on in the form of the historic free trade deal with Switzerland.
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. You can find them here.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
Popular Stories
More
Multinational companies
Azeri fossil-fuel cash cow brings controversy to Switzerland
Swiss price watchdog slams excessive prices for generic medicines
This content was published on
The cheapest generic medicines available in Switzerland are more than twice as expensive as in other countries, according to a study by the Swiss price watchdog.
Nature should not figure in net zero calculations: academic study
This content was published on
The natural removal of CO2 from the atmosphere by forests or oceans should not be included in the net-zero balance of climate protection measures, argue researchers.
This content was published on
None of the 15 major Swiss retail banks is meeting international climate and biodiversity targets, according to a ranking by WWF Switzerland.
This content was published on
Nestlé's new CEO Laurent Freixe, has presented plans for the future of the world's largest food company, after his first few weeks in office.
Swiss foreign minister calls on Moscow to end Ukraine war
This content was published on
It's high time Moscow ended its war against Ukraine, Swiss foreign minister Ignazio Cassis tells the UN Security Council.
This content was published on
The only alternative to the UN Palestinian agency’s work in Gaza is to allow Israel to run services there, Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, told reporters in Geneva on Monday.
Study reveals food culture differences between Switzerland and neighbours
This content was published on
Three-quarters of Swiss people consider eating to be a pleasurable, social activity, a new survey reveals. Healthy eating, however, plays a much less important role, it found.
Taiwan is ‘open to free trade accord’ with Switzerland
This content was published on
Taiwan’s top official in Switzerland says there is room for more “pragmatic cooperation” between the Asian island state and the Alpine nation.
China dismisses Swiss reports of stalled free trade talks
This content was published on
China's commerce ministry has denied talks with Switzerland to upgrade a free trade agreement between both countries are "frozen".
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.