Human rights dialogue and trade interests are two key issues in Sino-Swiss relations, Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said in a presentation on foreign policy toward China in the Swiss capital, Bern, on 19 May. Photo: taken from Twitter
Switzerland, the world’s best known permanent neutral country, is surrounded by European powers such as Germany, France, Italy and Austria, but managed to remain neutral during World War I and II. Yet Switzerland, which has a large Gold stockpile, places a high value on customer privacy and also has its own army, earlier released its first “China Strategy” document, in which it will take a more critical look at human rights issues in China. In the future, human rights issues will no longer be the exclusive responsibility of the Foreign Ministry, but of the Swiss government as a whole.
According to Deutsche Welle, Switzerland released its first “China Strategy” document earlier, emphasizing the need for a clear and coherent Swiss policy toward China. The Swiss foreign minister stressed that the issue of human rights in China would be examined more closely.
The Swiss government said in a statement that China has grown rapidly in recent years and become an important international force both economically and politically, and that China is Switzerland’s third largest trading partner, with free trade agreements and “dozens of channels of dialogue” between the two countries. The statement reads, “However, there are also clear differences in values between the two countries, so it is crucial to ensure a clear and consistent policy toward China.”
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said Switzerland wants an independent China Policy through which it can address bilateral issues: “China’s willingness to engage in dialogue on human rights issues has waned, while the human rights situation in the country has gotten worse. For Switzerland, human rights dialogue remains key. The content of the strategy paper will ensure that all bilateral agreements address human rights issues.” Cassis then said that Switzerland will take a more critical look at human rights in China and that dealing with human rights issues is no longer the exclusive responsibility of the Foreign Ministry alone, but of the Swiss government as a whole.
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