Swiss minister talks finance and free trade in India
Machines and machine parts make up a large chunk of Swiss exports to India.
Keystone / Stefan Puchner
Swiss Finance Minister Ueli Maurer has held talks in New Delhi with India’s finance and foreign ministers. On the agenda were bilateral trade issues and India’s upcoming G20 presidency.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/dos
Português
pt
Ministro suíço fala de finanças e livre comércio na Índia
With his Indian counterparts Nirmala Sitharaman and Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Maurer notably spoke about Swiss expertise and possible cooperation in the area of sustainable finance, his ministry said on WednesdayExternal link.
Maurer also expressed a desire to “rapidly complete” negotiations for a free trade agreement between India and the European Free Trade Association (Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein), which have however made little progress since being launched in 2008.
He also tried to promote Switzerland’s position as “a reliable partner in the context of India’s G20 presidency next year”, the finance ministry wrote.
Trade potential
India is Switzerland’s second-biggest trade partner in Asia (after China) but authorities and certain industry sectors see potential to boost links with the growing market.
Annual trade between Switzerland and India comes to around CHF30 billion ($31.7 billion), with exports largely driven by precious metals, machines, pharmaceutical products and chemicals. Imports are notably chemicals, textiles, precious metals and agricultural goods, according to the Swiss Economics Ministry.
Switzerland is also a significant source of foreign direct investment in India; and more than 300 Swiss companies there employ some 130,000 people, the Economiesuisse business federation wrote last year.
Maurer’s visit comes just a week after another high-level Swiss delegation from the foreign ministry travelled to Delhi for talks about a bilateral partnership in the areas of digitalisation, innovation and sustainability.
Popular Stories
More
Swiss Politics
Swiss reject plans for bigger motorways and extra rights for landlords
Should raw milk sales be banned or should consumers decide?
Swiss food regulations do not allow raw milk to be sold for direct consumption. However, a loophole allows 400 raw milk vending machines to do just that.
Argentina’s Milei to visit Switzerland in January 2025
This content was published on
Argentina's libertarian President Javier Milei plans to visit Switzerland on January 24, 2025 to attend an event organised by the Liberal Institute in Zurich.
This content was published on
OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, says it intends to open an office in Zurich. The move is part of its European expansion plan, after setting up offices in London, Paris, Brussels and Dublin.
This content was published on
The Swiss economy is growing slightly faster than expected, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
This content was published on
The House of Representatives on Wednesday cut the foreign aid budget by CHF250 million ($282 million) in favour of the army.
Parliament confirms 13th pension payment to be paid once a year in December
This content was published on
The 13th old-age pension payment will be paid out as planned from December 2026, the Swiss Senate confirmed on Wednesday.
This content was published on
Around 1,000 Swiss farmers took part in a protest action near Bern on Tuesday, calling for less administrative work, more planning security and fairer prices.
UN appeals for more funds to assist 305 million people in need
This content was published on
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that around 305 million people will need aid in 2025.
Swiss authorities release right-to-die activist in Sarco ‘suicide capsule’ case
This content was published on
A right-to-die activist has been released from police custody over the reported first use of the Sarco “suicide capsule”, after prosecutors ruled out the possibility of an intentional homicide.
Switzerland demands immediate halt to hostilities in Syria
This content was published on
The Swiss foreign ministry has called for an immediate end to hostilities in Syria. International humanitarian law must be respected, it declared via the social media platform X on Tuesday.
Poll: right-wing Swiss People’s Party enjoys growing support among population
This content was published on
If national elections had been held in Switzerland last month, the right-wing Swiss People's Party would have won, and increased its share of votes by 2% compared to the 2023 federal elections.
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.
Read more
More
India seeks Swiss cooperation on digitalisation
This content was published on
Swiss State Secretary Livia Leu has held high-level talks in India focusing on bilateral relations and multilateral cooperation.
This content was published on
Swiss President Doris Leuthard has started a two-day presidential visit to India – accompanied by an unusually large 30-head business delegation.
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.