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Ueli Maurer (72) visited the Chinese ambassador in Bern on 12 April. According to a statement on the embassy’s website, the former SVP federal councilor exchanged views with Ambassador Wang Shihting, 55, “about the innovative strategic partnership” and “economic, financial and industrial cooperation” between Switzerland and China.
The message is garnished with a photo showing Maurer and Shihting, with the flags of the two countries behind them. Everything looks very official. In the press release, Maurer is even referred to as the “Federal Councilor”. If the presentation of the embassy is to be believed, Maurer, who has not been in the state government since the end of 2022, spoke about cooperation with the giant empire. He had declared his willingness to “continue to contribute to the deepening of friendly relations”.
Federal Council surprised
Explosive: The meeting took place without the knowledge and without the consent of the sitting Bundesrat. “The said meeting was not a subject in the Federal Council and was not due to a mandate from the Federal Council,” said Federal Council spokesman André Simonazzi. The responsible department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (EDA) was also not aware of the meeting, he says.
According to the “Aide-mémoire”, the code of conduct for federal councilors, ex-government members must “exercise due diligence in the selection of mandates and functions”. They must refrain from activities that could give rise to a conflict of interest. Professional secrecy also applies.
Finally, it cannot be assessed whether the former SVP judge complied with it or not. He did not respond to a request from Blick.
“It Doesn’t Work That Way”
Maurer’s unauthorized solo run caused harsh criticism in parliament. “That doesn’t work at all and needs to be worked up,” says SP foreign policy officer Fabian Molina (32). He is the father of the initiative calling for rapprochement with Taiwan. This was approved by the National Council on Tuesday.
Now China is angry with the National Council. The country regards the decision to strengthen relations with Taiwan as “gross interference in internal affairs”. And it was precisely on this Tuesday evening that the embassy published the press release about Maurer’s visit in April on its own website.
“Köppel in Moscow, mason with the Chinese”
But Molina is not surprised by their content. “Roger Köppel travels to Moscow and Ueli Maurer hangs on every word of the Chinese people,” he says only to key SVP exponents seeking proximity to autocratic regimes.
Center group leader Philipp Matthias Bregy (44) also shakes his head. “That’s insensitive.” “Servir et disparaître” applies to a federal councilor – to serve and to hold back. Maurer, of course, does not adhere to it. However, a possible explanation is that Maurer visited the embassy as a member of the ethics committee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). “But then he shouldn’t talk about economic and financial issues,” says Bregy. And then there should not have been a Swiss flag behind Maurer.
Only party friend Franz Grüter (59) takes Maurer under his wing: “It is important to keep in touch with all states.” The chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee has himself often been in China on business. “From that moment on I knew how important personal contacts are for the Chinese.” For the SVP National Council it is clear: «There is nothing wrong with Ueli Maurer maintaining these contacts. But he will know that he can no longer speak for Switzerland. China knows that too.”
Chinese bricklayer friend
It is not the first time that Ueli Maurer has attracted attention with his proximity to China. In his 2019 presidential year, he was on a state visit to China. He gave President Xi Jinping (69) a pair of skis and signed a letter of intent related to the “New Silk Road”. With this, China wants to invest billions in roads, railways, ports and other infrastructure projects.
And now it comes to the meeting with the Chinese ambassador. It could have been a purely friendly visit. Or is China using the old Bundesrat for its own purposes? Ueli Maurer will have to answer.
Source:Blick
I am Liam Livingstone and I work in a news website. My main job is to write articles for the 24 Instant News. My specialty is covering politics and current affairs, which I’m passionate about. I have worked in this field for more than 5 years now and it’s been an amazing journey. With each passing day, my knowledge increases as well as my experience of the world we live in today.
