GENEVA, June 30 -- Switzerland said on Tuesday that since the bilateral free trade agreement with China came into force last year, Swiss exports to the Asia's economic powerhouse have risen by 3 percent while imports from China have increased by at least 4 percent between July 2014 and May 2015.

In the same period, Swiss exports to the rest of the world have only increased by 0.4 percent, while imports from other trade partners have fallen by 3.9 percent, according to Switzerland's State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) .

According to SECO, Swiss businesses are benefiting from improved access to China's substantial and growing goods and services sectors.

The free trade agreement is seen as a way to not only secure jobs in Switzerland, but also as a means to open up new opportunities for the country's export industry which has had to contend with considerable financial pressures due to the strong Swiss Franc.

SECO furthermore said that the agreement enhances intellectual property protection, while improving the predictability of future legal and economic trends between both countries.

According to Federal Customs Administration foreign trade statistics, China, the world's second largest economy behind the United States, is one of Switzerland's most important trading partners.

The landmark free trade agreement between China and Switzerland came into effect on July 1, 2014.