Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin is currently in China with a large scientific and economic delegation. The trip opened with official talks in Beijing. During the meeting with Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao, the representatives of the two countries stressed their common interest in free market access. As both China and Switzerland are exporting nations, they depend on access to foreign markets that is as non-discriminatory as possible. The current inability of the WTO to enforce its rules is a cause for concern. Both countries are committed to ensuring that the WTO can once again assume its important role in shaping global economic rules.
During the meeting with the Chinese Minister of Commerce, several business representatives from the Swiss economic delegation led by economiesuisse President Christoph Mäder were able to express their concerns. The interventions expressly supported the planned optimisation of the free trade agreement (FTA). Although many parts of the FTA were already exempt from customs duties, the remaining exceptions would lead to additional bureaucracy and certain exported goods would be penalised. Intellectual property issues were also discussed. For example, Chinese online platforms often offer counterfeit Swiss products. Concerns were also expressed about the increase in regulation in China. Wang Wentao listened to these concerns. With regard to trade conflicts, Guy Parmelin stressed that Switzerland was abandoning a vertical industrial policy. In his opinion, subsidies are not the solution. Indeed, it often turns out later that the investments made were not profitable, due to inefficiencies. Regarding market access problems caused by technical barriers to trade, Mr. Wang indicated that China intends to align itself more closely with international rules. The Swiss draft law on investment control was also mentioned. From China’s perspective, the law should not be instrumentalized by the political world.
Immediately after the meeting, Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao and Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin signed a memorandum of understanding confirming their willingness to work on optimising the free trade agreement. Since the CPE-E has approved the subject in question, it is the duty of the CPE-N to follow suit. Optimising the free trade agreement is important for Switzerland as a business location, so that quality goods can continue to be produced in our country.
