Expert on the relationship with Switzerland: “China is no longer a priority”

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“The mood has completely changed on both sides. There is no longer the same willingness to cooperate,” said the founder of Sinoptic.ch, the only Swiss information site on China, in an interview with “Le Temps” published on Saturday. The Vaud resident is also vice president of the Swiss-Chinese Association and secretary of the Switzerland-China Parliamentary Group.

China is convinced that it has done everything right in recent years and that the West is on the wrong track, Béroud said. The corona pandemic has reinforced this belief: “The Chinese were confronted with nothing but internal propaganda.”

The expert said there is also a significant distance on the Swiss side: “China is no longer a priority for those responsible for economic development, the cantons and the federal government.”

There are areas where cooperation is still possible: ETH Zurich and EPFL in Lausanne host hundreds of Chinese students. But students’ interest in the Chinese language is declining. The limited prospects in China are the reason for this, says Béroud.

Swiss companies based in China are also still denied access to certain economic sectors, subject to stricter controls and subject to regulations that do not necessarily apply to Chinese companies, Béroud said. “Openness is promoted abroad, but internally it is about closing ranks,” he summarized. “That’s paradoxical.” (SDA)

Source:Blick