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Switzerland wants to organize a peace conference for Ukraine this year. China is also expected to take part.
Foreign Minister Cassis is currently traveling to India, South Korea and China. He spends two days in Beijing and meets, among others, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Federal Councilor Cassis is likely to address the following topics:
Peace summit for Ukraine
He wanted to hold in-depth discussions in China, said Federal Councilor Ignazio Cassis with a view to the summit for peace in Ukraine. That was three weeks ago at the WEF in Davos, after it was announced that Switzerland was organizing a corresponding conference.
Since Russia will not take part in this meeting, it is all the more important for Switzerland to include states that maintain good relations with Russia. China has particularly close relations with Russia. Chinese President Xi Jinping calls Vladimir Putin an “old friend.”
A high-level participation by China at the summit in Switzerland would be desirable, but is currently hardly conceivable. China mostly stayed away from the preparatory conferences. Foreign Minister Cassis has a difficult task ahead of him.
Human Rights Dialogue
The human rights dialogue that Switzerland has had with China since 1991 should also be addressed. China has unilaterally suspended the dialogue since 2018 after Switzerland criticized China’s actions against the Uighur minority in an internationally coordinated statement at the UN.
The human rights dialogue with China resumed last summer. However, China did not want to discuss it with the human rights organizations that Switzerland had originally invited.
FTA
Another point of discussion between Switzerland and China is the free trade agreement, which has been in force for almost ten years. Switzerland would like to renew and expand this. Swiss business representatives have been hoping for a corresponding update for years.
After China had shown no interest in this for a long time, there were now positive signals when Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang visited Switzerland three weeks ago. China and Switzerland have launched preparations for a revision of the free trade agreement. It is the beginning of a long process.
Since the free trade agreement is a topic for the Minister of Economic Affairs, it will hardly play a major role during Foreign Minister Cassis’ visit to Beijing, if it will be discussed at all.
Strategic dialogue
This is a collective term for any topics that Switzerland and China want to discuss with each other. This is not just about bilateral but also about multilateral relationships.
The exchange takes place annually and, according to authorities, it is used to discuss topics such as trade, direct cooperation and international cooperation. Any other topics could therefore be addressed as part of this strategic dialogue. However, the priority should be on the planned summit for Ukraine.