China’s economic relations with the Western world currently aren’t that good: there is a possible trade war with the US looming and also many commercial disputes with the EU. Relations with Switzerland look completely different though. The Swiss foreign minister, federal council Ignazio Cassis, visited China this week and stated on a press conference with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, that the Sino-Swiss relations are on an all-time high. There are even plans to extend the current free trade agreement between the two countries. Switzerland is the only country in mainland Europe that has signed such an agreement with China. Mr. Cassis also suggested building a “strategic innovation platform” between China and Switzerland, where leading representatives from the political and business arena would meet and discuss actual problems and challenges. In addition, Mr. Cassis promised, that Switzerland would support China’s “One Belt One Road” initiative.
Compared to other western countries, Switzerland is seen as a pioneer for its relations with the People’s Republic China. In 1950, Switzerland already recognized the PRC as a nation, only one year after its foundation. With Deng Xiaoping’s reforms, Sino-Swiss relations accelerated in the late 1970s. In 1980, the Swiss company Schindler was one of the first Western companies that set up a joint venture in the PRC. Switzerland was also quick to accept China as a market economy, and did this in 2007. In 2013, the two countries signed an FTA and in 2015, when China founded the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Switzerland was one of the first countries to join it.
