Official Working Visit by State Secretary Michael Ambühl to the People's Republic of China
Berne, 02.06.2006 - State Secretary Michael Ambühl paid an official working visit to Beijing from 31 May to 2 June 2006. He held talks with his counterpart Deputy Minister Zhang Yesui, who is responsible for relations with the European region, and with Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, to whom he paid a courtesy visit. In the discussions with Zhang Yesui, the discussion partners agreed to work to intensify and to improve the structure of bilateral relations. They also discussed Switzerland's wish for a free trade agreement, questions relating to intellectual property, and the human rights dialogue.
Deputy Minister Zhang Yesui and State Secretary Michael Ambühl discussed the strategic priorities that China and Switzerland intend to set in the development of their relations. Possible priorities include the following:
- in the political field: UN issues, regional conflicts, development cooperation, the rule of law, international humanitarian law, human rights and migration issues;
- in the economic field: development of the regulatory framework for bilateral economic exchanges, in particular free exchange, respect for intellectual property and the security of investments; strengthening of exchanges in the field of finance, encouragement of tourism;
- in the field of science, technology and education: encouragement of scientific cooperation, both in the fields of higher education and of the professions, support for applied research through specific projects, particularly in the area of sustainable development.
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