Chinese vice premier meets Swiss entrepreneurs
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Visiting Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang on Monday called for closer economic and trade ties with Switzerland when meeting a group of leading Swiss entrepreneurs.
"China and Switzerland are major economic partners to each other. The economic and trade cooperation serves as an important basis for the development of bilateral ties," Li said at a dinner gathering with elite business people in the country.
Bilateral trade has continued to expand, and investment cooperation has been deepened, Li said.
Switzerland is a major source of foreign investment from Europe for China, which now has manufacturing bases set up by leading Swiss companies such as Nestle, Novartis and ABB, he said.
"Meanwhile, progress has been made in Chinese investment in Switzerland in such fields as energy, telecommunications and software engineering," he added.
The Chinese vice premier said technology trade between the two countries has also been enhanced. "For China, Switzerland is a major source of advanced technology in Europe."
Cooperation on technology has boosted the renovation of traditional industries and the development of high- and new-tech industries in China, Li said, adding it is a key reason Switzerland has achieved a trade surplus with China.
He outlined five priorities in furthering trade and investment cooperation with Switzerland.
Li proposed that the two countries deepen their economic ties through further liberalizing trade and investment, standing against all forms of protectionism and pushing for a more balanced and fair outcome of the Doha Round of global trade talks.
The Chinese leader also called for deepened financial cooperation and cooperation on energy conservation and environmental protection.
Cooperation in the field of high and new technology and that between small and medium-sized enterprises of the two countries should also be further deepened, he said.
Li arrived in Zurich earlier Monday for a four-day visit to Switzerland, during which he will attend this year's World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in the Alpine ski resort of Davos.
Li is also scheduled to hold talks with Swiss President Doris Leuthard and WEF President Klaus Shwab
The Chinese vice premier has said his visit will help further promote mutual political trust, enhance the traditional friendship, elevate bilateral trade and economic cooperation to a higher level, and further advance bilateral ties.
In a scheduled address at the WEF annual meeting, Li will mainly brief participants about China's domestic economic situation and the Chinese government's economic policy.
Li will also elaborate on China's stand on some global issues such as the global response to climate change, and call for an all-round, sustained and balanced growth of the world's economy.
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