China and Switzerland Conclude Negotiations to Amend Free Trade Agreement

On 20 August 2026, China’s Commerce Minister WANG Wentao and Switzerland’s President Guy PARMELIN jointly announced that the two countries had concluded negotiations to enhance the existing Free Trade Agreement (#FTA) that came into effect in 2014. Both sides publicized the outcome after their fifth round of talks in the Swiss capital of Bern.

Under the old FTA, nearly all Chinese goods could enter the Swiss market duty-free, while only half of Swiss goods enjoyed this treatment. Thus, in the new FTA, nearly 99.8% of Swiss exports will be able to take advantage of duty-free access. Nevertheless, Switzerland is one of the rare countries to rack up a trade surplus with China.

In 2025, the bilateral trade volume between China and Switzerland was EUR 54.7 billion, and for 1H26, the amount has already reached nearly USD 50 billion. The surge can be attributed to China’s massive increase in imports of certain Swiss goods. In particular, China ramped up its purchase of Swiss pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and watches.

At the moment, China and the EU are also conducting trade talks to smooth out kinks over reciprocity, but it is worth noting that Switzerland is not an EU member state. The new China-Switzerland FTA is expected to come into effect by the end of 2026 after both countries complete their respective domestic ratification process.