In the first half of 2018, Swiss companies exported machinery worth CHF 1.45 billion to China, an increase by 10 percent compared to the first half of 2017. Chinese manufacturers currently upgrade their equipment and invest more in automation, thus there is a high demand for high-quality machines.
China (including Hong Kong) is Switzerland’s third biggest market for machinery; the biggest one is Germany, followed by the United States.
Besides machinery, Swiss watches and precision instruments also boomed in the Middle Kingdom, exports in the first half of 2018 amounted to a total of CHF 4 billion, a 17.5 percent increase compared to the first half of 2017.
Switzerland had a trade surplus of CHF 1.5 billion with China and Hong Kong in the first six month of this year, exports amounted to 8.9 billion and imports to 7.4 billion.