Chinese vice premier meets guests from Switzerland, Japan

BEIJING, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on Monday respectively met with Swiss Federal Councilor Guy Parmelin, also head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research, and Yohei Kono, president of the Japan Association for the Promotion of International Trade (JAPIT) and a delegation from the Japanese business community headed by Kono in Beijing.

When meeting with Parmelin, He, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that China is willing to work with Switzerland to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, deepen and expand practical cooperation in economic and trade fields, upgrade the level of trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and push forward the China-Switzerland innovative strategic partnership.

Parmelin said Switzerland is ready to strengthen trade and investment cooperation with China and push bilateral economic and trade relations to a new level.

When meeting with Kono and the delegation from the Japanese business community visiting China, He extended warm congratulations on the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the JAPIT.

He expressed the hope that the JAPIT will better play the role of a bridge and continue to be a practitioner of the China-Japan friendship, a promoter of mutually beneficial cooperation, and a defender of the stability of the global industrial and supply chains.

China is firmly committed to high-level opening up and welcomes Japanese companies to expand investment and cooperation with China further, He said.

For his part, Kono said the JAPIT will continue to promote Japan-China economic and trade exchanges and make new contributions to Japan-China friendship.