What the EU could learn from Switzerland’s free trade agreement with China

Switzerland signed a free trade agreement with China in 2013, which came into force in 2014. Marc Lanteigne writes on whether the Swiss experience could offer lessons for the EU. He argues that Switzerland’s success in negotiating a free trade agreement and building new financial links with Beijing illustrate some of the benefits that could be gained from the EU adding China to its own list of free trade partners.

• Primary Source

European Commission: DG Trade: Policy: Countries and Regions: China http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/countries/china/

Switzerland: State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO): Foreign trade: Free trade agreements: Partners worldwide: China http://www.seco.admin.ch/themen/00513/02655/02731/04118/index.html?lang=en

CSS Analyses in Security Policy, No.147, February 2014: The Sino-Swiss Free Trade Agreement http://www.css.ethz.ch/publications/pdfs/CSSAnalyses147-EN.pdf

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