Economic and trade relations between China and Switzerland have maintained a good development trend, with bilateral trade volume expected to reach 10 billion US dollars this year, Chinese Ambassador to Switzerland Dong Jinyi said in Berne on Thursday.

Briefing a visiting delegation of Chinese entrepreneurs, Dong said bilateral trade between the two countries had registered an annual increase of almost 40 percent, reaching 9.4 billion dollars in 2007, while the first nine months of this year saw a 25.6 percent increase year-on-year.

Switzerland is the largest investor in China among non-EU European countries, with 3 billion US dollars and 1,128 projects, said Dong.

He said China's economic development had expanded the potential for economic cooperation between the two nations, and more and more Chinese entrepreneurs are now seeking investment opportunities in Switzerland.

The Chinese delegation's visit is at the invitation of the Swiss Economic Promotion Bureau.

(Xinhua News Agency October 31, 2008)