Xi meets with 'old friend of Chinese people'

President, visiting Swiss leader establish strategic innovative partnership spanning multiple sectors

Chinese President Xi Jinping (L, front) holds a welcoming ceremony for Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann before their talks in Beijing, China, April 8, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

China and Switzerland signed five documents on Friday to boost cooperation in areas including work safety, science, innovation and low-carbon city construction as the two countries declared the establishment of their innovative strategic partnership.

President Xi Jinping and visiting Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann witnessed in Beijing the signing of two memorandums of understanding, between the Chinese cities of Guangzhou and Chengdu and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation as part of a Sino-Swiss low-carbon city project.

Calling Schneider-Ammann "an old friend of the Chinese people", Xi recalled his meeting with the Swiss president in June when he came to China for the signing ceremony of the China-proposed Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank.

Xi told his Swiss counterpart that the two countries should work together to establish innovative platforms for enhancing cooperation between enterprises, colleges and institutions.

Regarding the growth in trade between the two countries, which last year celebrated the 65th anniversary of their diplomatic ties, Xi said, "The daily trade volume is now 26 times what it was annually in the first years after we established diplomatic ties."

Switzerland is China's seventh-largest trade partner in Europe, and trade volume between the two reached $44.3 billion last year.