On March 27, 2018, the 2nd meeting of the joint study on upgrading China-Switzerland FTA was held in Beijing. The two sides held in-depth talks on the incorporated areas, contents of the research of the joint study, and work arrangement for the next stage.

The China-Switzerland FTA was signed in July 2013 and came into force in July 2014. It was the first free trade agreement that China has signed with the European countries. The smooth implementation of the FTA has positively boosted bilateral trade and economic cooperation. At present, China has been Switzerland’s third trading partner, secondary to the EU and the US and Switzerland has been China’s 7th trading partner in Europe. The two sides signed the MOU on Upgrading China-Switzerland FTA between the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China and the Ministry of Economy, Education and Science of Swiss Confederation, and launched the joint study on upgrading the FTA.