Swiss President seeks to renew trade agreement with China

Swiss President Guy Parmelin met with Chinese Vice Prime Minister He Lifeng in Davos on Tuesday to explore ways to expand bilateral relations. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The exchange was important, Parmelin wrote on the X platform after the exchange. Lifeng is regarded as a key player within the Chinese government for international trade relations. Parmelin, who is economics minister and holds the rotating Swiss presidency, would like to strengthen the existing trade agreement with Beijing, as he said last week at a conference hosted by his party – the right-wing Swiss People's party. In the best-case scenario, the negotiations could be finalised this year and the new free trade agreement signed. + 75 years of Swiss-China relations At his party's conference, Parmelin went on to say that Switzerland must maintain the best possible relations with all its major trading partners. Switzerland's future depended on the diversification of its markets.