BERN, Switzerland, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) — China is willing to promote the continuous development of bilateral relations with Switzerland to achieve more practical results in mutually beneficial cooperation, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said here on Monday.
Li made the comments during his talks with President of the Swiss Confederation Viola Amherd. Federal Councilor Guy Parmelin, head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research, took part in the discussions.
Since the establishment of diplomatic ties 74 years ago, bilateral ties have made great progress and brought about many “firsts,” Li said.
He recalled that Chinese President Xi Jinping and the then Swiss leader jointly announced the establishment of the innovative China-Switzerland strategic partnership in 2016, which provided important guidelines for the development of bilateral relations.
China is willing to work with Switzerland to implement the important consensus of the two leaders, further consolidate the foundation of political mutual trust and strengthen the cooperative spirit of “equality, innovation and mutual benefit,” the premier said.
China is willing to continue to promote close high-level exchanges with Switzerland, play a better role in the dialogue and cooperation mechanism between the two governments, and accelerate the resumption of exchanges at various levels and in various fields, Li said.
The two sides should explore more convergent interests, strengthen cooperation in free trade, customs and other areas, and promote and strengthen new areas of growth of cooperation in green development, finance and digital economy, thereby expanding and improving economic cooperation. and bilateral trade, he noted.
Li also expressed hope that the Swiss side will continue to provide an open, fair and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies in Switzerland.
China is willing to strengthen cooperation with Switzerland in the fields of cultural relics, education, youth and sports, Li said.
Li called on both sides to communicate and coordinate closely within multilateral mechanisms such as the United Nations, strengthen cooperation in the areas of connectivity infrastructure financing, international development assistance and climate change response, and jointly make positive contributions to the cause of world peace and development.