China, Switzerland agree to support early launch of formal FTA upgrade negotiations

China and Switzerland have completed the joint feasibility study on upgrading the China-Switzerland Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and agreed to support the early launch of formal FTA upgrade negotiations, the two sides announced on Monday.

The announcement was made during talks between Chinese Premier Li Qiang and President of the Swiss Confederation Viola Amherd.

The two sides will also hold a new round of foreign minister level China-Switzerland strategic dialogues, working group meetings on finance and energy, education policy dialogues, as well as consultations on UN Security Council affairs, within this year.

During the meeting, Premier Li noted that China is willing to work with Switzerland to implement the important consensus of the two heads of state, further strengthen the foundation of political mutual trust, carry forward the cooperation spirit of equality, innovation and win-win and promote the continuous development of bilateral relations and achieve more practical results in mutually beneficial cooperation.

China is willing to continue close high-level exchanges with Switzerland, better utilize the mechanism of intergovernmental dialogue and cooperation between the two countries, and accelerate the resumption of exchanges at all levels and in all fields, he added.

Li called on the two sides to explore more convergence points of common interests, strengthen cooperation in areas such as free trade and customs, cultivate and grow new growth points of cooperation in green, financial and digital economy, and promote the quality and upgrading of economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

China hopes that the Swiss side will continue to provide an open, fair and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese-funded enterprises in Switzerland, the Chinese premier pointed out.

He also voiced China's willingness to strengthen cooperation with Switzerland in the fields of cultural relics, education, youth and sports.  

The two sides should closely communicate and coordinate within the United Nations and other multilateral mechanisms, strengthen cooperation in areas such as financing infrastructure connectivity, international development assistance and addressing climate change, and jointly make positive contributions to the cause of world peace and development, Li added.

The Swiss leader said Switzerland is willing to continue to promote high-quality bilateral dialogues with China, deepen exchanges and cooperation in various fields, and jointly tackle global challenges such as climate change, public health and cyber security, so as to push forward greater development of Switzerland-China innovative strategic partnership in the Year of the Loong.

The two sides on Monday announced that China will apply unilateral visa-free policy to Switzerland, and the Swiss side will provide more visa facilitation for Chinese citizens as well as Chinese enterprises investing in Switzerland.

The two sides also agreed to take the opportunity of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties next year to strengthen people-to-people exchanges.