China, Switzerland pledge to further boost bilateral relations

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- China and Switzerland Tuesday pledged to further promote bilateral relations, at a meeting here between senior officials of the two countries.

Liu He, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the General Office of the Central Leading Group for Financial and Economic Affairs, met with Ueli Maurer, vice president of the Swiss Confederation and head of the Finance Department.

Liu is leading the Chinese delegation to the annual World Economic Forum held on Jan. 23-26 in the eastern Swiss town of Davos.

Thanks to the joint efforts of the presidents of both countries, China and Switzerland have further strengthened mutual trust and deepened economic and trade cooperation, Liu said.

In particular, the successful visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Switzerland last year and the participation of President of the Swiss Confederation Doris Leuthard in the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held in Beijing in 2017 have brought bilateral relations to the best level in history, he said.

The two sides should implement the consensus reached by leaders of the two countries, further strengthen bilateral cooperation in all areas, and advance the innovative Sino-Swiss strategic partnership, Liu said.

He said that China is comprehensively deepening its reforms and opening wider to the world in accordance with the strategies adopted at the 19th CPC National Congress. China is also striving to create a favorable business environment for fair competition and to further open the sectors of finance and manufacturing to foreign companies, which will create new opportunities of cooperation.

Liu spoke highly of Switzerland's participation in the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, hoping that the two sides will reinforce cooperation in key projects, customs service, cross-border e-commerce and financing. China welcomes investment from more Swiss companies and hopes that Switzerland keeps open to Chinese investment, he added.

Maurer admired the progress made by China, saying that Switzerland is very interested in China's opening up and is ready to further strengthen cooperation with China in various fields.

Switzerland is ready to encourage more Swiss companies to invest in China and also supports Chinese investment in Switzerland, Maurer said.

Switzerland plans to coordinate cooperation with China within the context of the Belt and Road Initiative, and to promote the continuous development of bilateral relations of friendship and cooperation in all fields, Maurer said. Enditem