Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's upcoming visit to Switzerland is not only expected to be a great push for bilateral economic exchanges, but also a demonstration of China's resolution in further opening up and participating in multilateral affairs.

Switzerland is the third leg of Li's first overseas trip as premier. He's currently on an official visit to Pakistan following a trip to India, and will also travel to Germany.

During his stay in Switzerland, Li will meet with a number of senior Swiss leaders including President Ueli Maurer, Vice President and Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter and Head of Federal Department of Economic Affairs Johann Schneider-Ammann.

"Li's visit to Switzerland will push forward bilateral ties and make bilateral cooperation a model of friendly exchanges between countries with different social systems," Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Song Tao told reporters in Beijing on May 16.

China has become Switzerland's largest trading partner in Asia while Switzerland is China's seventh-largest trading partner in Europe and its sixth-largest source of foreign investment.

Bilateral relations are facing new opportunities for development, Song said.

During Li's visit, Song said, China and Switzerland will sign a series of cooperation documents involving economics and trade, finance, education, culture and climate change.

DEEPENING BILATERAL RELATIONS

Swiss media have been enthusiastic in reporting on the progress of free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations between China and Switzerland.

After nine rounds of FTA negotiations, the two nations have narrowed their differences in rules of origin, trade facilitation, intellectual property and competition policy, among others.

Chinese Vice Commerce Minister Jiang Yaoping told reporters on May 16that the two countries have made clear their intentions to conclude the talks, and both hope to reach a mutually beneficial and high-quality agreement as soon as possible.

Experts say the Swiss pharmaceutical and chemical industry, the engineering and watch-making sectors, food producers and tourism stand to benefit from the FTA deal.

Despite the euro-zone sovereign debt crisis and uncertainties in the world economy, the two-way trade volume between China and Switzerland reached 26.3 billion dollars in 2012.

Cai Fangcai, commercial counselor of the Chinese embassy in Switzerland, told Xinhua that Beijing has attached great importance to economic and trade relations with Switzerland.

"Switzerland is located at the heart of Europe. As the nearest non-EU country to the European Union, it has specific geographic and competitive advantages," Cai said.

Cui Hongjian, director of European Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, said that the FTA negotiations between the two countries will set an example for similar negotiations between China and other European nations in the future.

Luzius Wasescha, a special advisor to the Swiss Foreign Ministry, told Xinhua that the two economies are very complementary and Switzerland also wants to attract more Chinese investment.

Roland Decorvet, chairman and CEO of Nestle Greater China, said Nestle has been a big supporter of closer relations between China and Switzerland.

Nestle has 33 factories in China with more to be opened in the coming years, mostly in the central and western regions. More than 90 percent of its products are made locally using local raw materials, Decorvet said.

"A closer relationship is in the best interest of both countries in a globalized environment," he said.

On the other hand, China is also learning the European way of doing business from Switzerland.

Zhang Yi, CEO of Addax Petroleum, a Sinopec Group subsidiary, said the development of bilateral relations will help boost the confidence and determination of Chinese businesses in Switzerland.

He said an FTA will help Addax better use the capital and human resources in both countries and further develop in Switzerland.

The deepening of bilateral relations can be witnessed in various fields, including tourism.

Switzerland attracted over 500,000 Chinese tourists in 2012, a 30-percent increase over 2011, which, among other factors, led to the opening of direct flights from Beijing to Geneva.

Isabel Rochat, who leads Geneva Airport's board of directors, said the flights are important to the diplomatic, political, economic and cultural development of the entire region.

The new flights will also help boost the development of tourism and Switzerland's hotel industry and the finance sector of the Canton of Geneva, said Rocha, who is also the state councilor of Geneva.

Patrick Odier, chairman of the Swiss Bankers Association, believed that Li's visit would surely "provide an additional impetus" to the financial sector of the two countries.

"Strengthened cooperation gives access to market intelligence and knowledge on current developments and future strategies, granting Switzerland a vantage point as a gateway to the Chinese market and economy," Odier told Xinhua.