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China, Switzerland make remarkable achievements in bilateral relations, cooperation

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China, Switzerland make remarkable achievements in bilateral relations, cooperation

2025-01-18 21:43 Last Updated At:22:17

Switzerland and China enjoy a close and mutually beneficial relationship with practical cooperation in many sectors yielding fruitful results as they are celebrating 75 years of diplomatic relations.

The journey of diplomatic ties between China and Switzerland began on Jan 17, 1950, when then-President of the Swiss Confederation Max Petitpierre sent a telegram to Chinese leader Mao Zedong, expressing Switzerland's willingness to establish diplomatic relations. It paved the way for the formal establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries on Sept 14 of the same year.

The Chinese Embassy in the Swiss capital, Bern, has been a symbol of friendship between China and Switzerland for three quarters of a century.

Mao Jun, charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Switzerland, said the two countries have made remarkable achievements in relations and cooperation over the years.

"Together, the two sides have cultivated a spirit of equality, innovation and win-win cooperation. It's a model for developing friendly relations between countries with different social systems, at different stages of development and of different sizes. Second, practical cooperation between the two sides is getting closer. A mutually beneficial relationship between China and Switzerland shows a pioneering spirit and there have been many firsts. Switzerland was the first mainland European country to recognize China's full market economy status and the first to sign a free trade agreement with China," he said.

Jean-Jacques Dardel served as Swiss ambassador to China from 2014 until 2019. He said those were the golden days in relations between the two countries.

"In my time, what was remarkable was the intensity of those official visits. I mean, almost every week we had an important delegation from Switzerland coming to China, and we were asked to also lend a hand to organize visits from the Chinese side to Switzerland. We sensed that innovation, development, economic advancement was the order of the day for all," said Dardel.

China and Switzerland have been historically connected through trade in the pharmaceutical and chemical sectors, the machine industry as well as watches and precision equipment.

In July 2013, China and Switzerland signed a comprehensive free trade agreement, which waived most tariffs on goods and took effect in July 2014, making Switzerland the first continental European country to conclude and implement a free trade agreement with China.

Since then, China became Switzerland's third largest trade partner globally. In turn, Switzerland is China's 6th largest trade partner and the 5th largest source of investment in Europe.

The two sides are currently negotiating an upgrade to their free trade agreement, which signals further cooperation and strong relations between the two nations. Market access is one area both China and Switzerland will be hoping to enhance, while also covering new fields like e-commerce.

China, Switzerland make remarkable achievements in bilateral relations, cooperation

China, Switzerland make remarkable achievements in bilateral relations, cooperation

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China ready to push ties with Argentina to higher level: FM

2025-02-15 22:02 Last Updated At:22:37

China is ready to work with Argentina to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and bring the bilateral relations to a new level, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday.

This will benefit the people of the two countries and help China and Latin America achieve common development and prosperity, Wang said. He made the remarks during a meeting with his Argentine counterpart Gerardo Werthein on the sidelines of the ongoing Munich Security Conference.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that the Chinese and Argentine people have enjoyed a long-standing friendship, and China-Argentina cooperation is equal and mutually beneficial.

Last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Argentine President Javier Milei held a meeting and reached important consensus on consolidating and developing bilateral relations, said Wang.

China is willing to work with Argentina to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state and strengthen exchanges at the high level and in all fields, so as to bring the bilateral relations to a new level and better benefit the people of both countries, he said.

Wang also said the two sides should continue to respect and accommodate each other's core interests and major concerns, and continuously consolidate the political foundation of bilateral relations.

Wang pointed out that China does not seek spheres of influence, nor does it participate in geopolitical competition. In international affairs, China firmly practices multilateralism and is willing to work with Latin American countries, including Argentina, to firmly safeguard the international rule of law and the basic norms of international relations, he said.

Wang noted that China-Argentina relations are an important part of China-Latin America relations. Over the past decade since its establishment, the China-Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) Forum has effectively promoted China-Latin America cooperation and brought tangible benefits to the people of both sides, he said.

China is willing to work with Latin American countries to support the development and growth of the China-CELAC Forum, helping China and Latin America achieve common development and prosperity, said Wang.

Werthein said that Argentina attaches great importance to its relations with China, and looks forward to strengthening high-level exchanges and deepening pragmatic cooperation with China.

Noting that Argentina appreciates China's support for Argentina's defense of its sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands, Werthein said Argentina firmly adheres to the one-China principle and is willing to become a reliable and stable cooperative partner of China.

Werthein also said that Argentina will play an active role in promoting the development of Latin America-China relations on the basis of strengthening bilateral relations.

China ready to push ties with Argentina to higher level: FM

China ready to push ties with Argentina to higher level: FM

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