Swiss Ambassador to China Jürg Burri gives a speech at a forum in Renmin University on February 25, 2025. Photo: Courtesy of RDCY

 

 

Swiss Ambassador to China, Jürg Burri, visited the Renmin University of China in Beijing on February 25. On the same day, the university's Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies (RDCY), staged an Ambassador Forum. Under the theme of "the Innovative and Steadfast Partnership between Switzerland and China," the ambassador gave a speech, discussing China-Switzerland relations, the Free Trade Area, and the two countries' 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties. 

In his speech, the ambassador said Switzerland was one of the first Western countries to recognize and establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. In 2013, China and Switzerland signed the free trade agreement (FTA). The FTA is among the most ambitious trade deals signed by both countries to date. The agreement is the first that Beijing has signed with a country in continental Europe.

Since the FTA took effect, the economic and trade relations between the two countries have continued to develop and prosper. "I'd like to express my gratitude to the cooperation results achieved by our two countries so far and I believe that we will maintain a very sound development momentum in the future," said the ambassador. 

Talking about the cooperation between enterprises of the two countries, the ambassador noted that the Swiss companies are not merely making huge revenue in China, but are also sharing expertise in management and marketing. "Meanwhile, the Swiss enterprises are learning from China [the market] how to adapt to localization demands," he said. 

Taking "China speed" as an example, this is a buzzword in the business sector. "China's innovation speed, China's customer service speed, and its marketing speed are unparalleled around the world," he said.