Chinese Vice Premier Xuexiang with Economics Minister Guy Parmelin.
Keystone-SDA
On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations between Switzerland and China, Economics Minister Guy Parmelin and Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis have welcomed Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang to Bern.
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After meeting Parmelin and Cassis on Monday, Ding Xuexiang will attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) scheduled in Davos, the economics ministry said.
Switzerland and China are celebrating 75 years of bilateral relations this year. On January 17, 1950, then-President of the Confederation Max Petitpierre sent a telegram to Chairman Mao Zedong notifying him of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
+ Timeline: 75 years of Swiss-Chinese relations between business and human rights
Today China is Switzerland’s third-largest trading partner, with a bilateral trade volume of CHF33 billion ($36 billion) or CHF59 billion including trade in precious metals, the economics ministry said.
Human rights were also reportedly discussed during the visit. The government expressed its concerns about the situation in the autonomous regions of Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong-Kong, the ministry said.
In addition, cooperation between the United Nations and the World Trade Organization (WTO) was discussed, as well as current international issues, particularly Ukraine, the Middle East and the Korean Peninsula.
Translated from Italian by DeepL/ts
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