Swiss Federal Councilor and Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis Photo: Courtesy of Swiss Embassy in Beijing

 
Swiss Federal Councilor and Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis stated at a press conference at the Swiss Embassy in Beijing on Thursday night that the tariff war creates uncertainty and offers no benefits, not even to the US. 

He emphasized that historically, the tariff wars and trade wars have never generated prosperity and wealth; instead, they cause instability and conflict. While the American people aspire to "make America great again," he noted that a trade war will not help achieve this goal. 

On Thursday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Cassis in Beijing. Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that China and Switzerland should work together to address the challenges of deglobalization, safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of all countries, and maintain the international economic and trade order, as well as the basic norms governing international relations, Xinhua reported. 

Cassis expressed a willingness to strengthen cooperation with China with a rational and pragmatic attitude, and to accelerate the negotiations on upgrading the bilateral free trade agreement. He noted that the international community should join hands to defend multilateralism and free trade, read the Xinhua report. 

Cassis remarked at the press conference that the tariff war has now become a global issue. Whether they are US allies or countries with more distant relations with the US, all have been affected by the tariffs imposed by the US, and no country in the world wants a trade war. He noted that as an export-dependent market economy, Switzerland firmly opposes protectionism. 

"Openness to the market is the source of our prosperity. Protectionism leaves us with no room," he said. 

Public media reports indicate that on April 2, the US announced a 31 percent tariff increase on imports from Switzerland. As reported by swissinfo.ch, the US asserted that this move was in response to a 61 percent tariff imposed by Switzerland on American products. However, the method used to calculate this figure remains unclear, given that Switzerland does not levy tariffs on US industrial goods.

Cassis said at the media conference that Switzerland is seeking to engage in consultations with the US regarding the tariff issue in order to find a solution. However, such consultations must be based on mutual respect and equality.

He noted that Switzerland is currently working to accelerate negotiations on upgrading its free trade agreement with China, which will enhance Switzerland's competitiveness. The talks on upgrading the China-Switzerland Free Trade Agreement began last October. In the face of rising global trade instability, he emphasized that Switzerland has an even greater impetus to "speed up this process."

The Swiss diplomat also praised China's efforts in upholding multilateralism. He noted that throughout human development, numerous multilateral platforms have been established, such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), whose purpose is to coordinate global trade activities and prevent tariff conflicts like those we are witnessing today. However, the WTO and similar institutions now face serious challenges, and he called on countries to unite in revitalizing multilateralism.

China is making such efforts, breathing new life and giving oxygen into multilateral institutions, he said. Switzerland has also maintained important cooperation with China in multilateral institutions such as the United Nations and the World Bank. He stressed that all countries must make greater efforts to preserve the effectiveness and long-term sustainability of multilateralism — now more vital than ever.