Swiss and Chinese presidents discuss direction

Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann has met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing, where the two agreed an “innovative strategic partnership”. The aim, according to the economics ministry, is to “give an added dimension and fresh impulse” to bilateral relations.  During the visit to Beijing – part of a three-day state visit to China – seven agreements and protocols were signed. Three concern cooperation on matters of occupational safety, scientific cooperation and cooperation between Switzerland Innovation and Tsinghua University Science Park, and four concern the Sino-Swiss Low Carbon Cities (SSLCC) project, which aims to promote the sustainable growth of Chinese cities.  “We haven’t agreed any projects, but we have established in which direction things must go,” Schneider-Ammann said on Friday.  With the establishment of an “innovative strategic partnership”, Switzerland joins some 60 states with which China has entered into such partnerships.  In ...