Switzerland expects to expand trade with China: federal councillor

A pedestrian walks past the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, April 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Nie Xiaoyang)

Since 2010, China has been Switzerland's biggest trading partner in Asia and its third largest globally after the European Union and the United States. The two countries signed a free trade agreement (FTA) that entered into force on July 1, 2014.

INTERLAKEN, Switzerland, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Swiss Federal Councillor Karin Keller-Sutter told Xinhua during the Swiss Economic Forum (SEF) that she was optimistic on the trade outlook between Switzerland and China.

"I think that trade between Switzerland and China has rebounded again ... This is a good sign," Keller-Sutter told Xinhua in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the SEF, one of Switzerland's leading annual economic conferences taking place in the tourist resort town of Interlaken this week.

Under this year's theme "New Horizons," hundreds of leaders from business, academia, politics and the media discussed the opportunities and challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sailboats compete during the "Bol d'Or" sailing race in Geneva, Switzerland, June 15, 2019. (Xinhua/Xu Jinquan)

"It is also possible to travel again and so Chinese people are very welcome in Switzerland especially also in this region of the Berner Oberland, which is very popular also among Chinese people," she emphasized.

China was the third biggest market for Swiss tourism in 2019. Chinese tourists spent 101,000 overnight stays in the country that year, a number that had dropped to 12,000 in 2020, according to official figures from Switzerland Tourism.

Since 2010, China has been Switzerland's biggest trading partner in Asia and its third largest globally after the European Union and the United States. The two countries signed a free trade agreement (FTA) that entered into force on July 1, 2014.

Visitors pass by the booth of China at the Geneva Book Fair in Geneva, Switzerland, on May 1, 2019. (Xinhua/Xu Jinquan)

Keller-Sutter said she hoped bilateral trade could be further boosted and expanded across different industries.

"Although we have a free trade agreement, it would be very helpful and fruitful for Switzerland if we had more access with innovative products on the Chinese market," she said.

Switzerland's United Federal Assembly elected Keller-Sutter as federal councillor on Dec. 5, 2018. As of Jan. 1, 2019, she has been the head of the Federal Department of Justice and Police.