Premier Li Keqiang met with Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann at the Great Hall of the People on April 7.

Premier Li said that China thinks highly of its relations with Switzerland and that President Xi Jinping will hold talks with him on April 8.

The free trade agreement between China and Switzerland boosts the economic and trade cooperation between the two sides, said Premier Li.

China is willing to carry forward traditional friendship and deepen cooperation with Switzerland in the fields of trade and finance, said the Premier. The innovative cooperation will be the new growth point to help improve China-Switzerland cooperation, he added.

Premier Li said China is further implementing the innovation driven strategy to promote mass entrepreneurship and innovation and China’s economic growth will rely more on human resources rather than natural resources.

He added that the two sides have a wide future for innovation cooperation, hoping to establish an innovative cooperation mechanism for enterprises, colleges and research institutions in both countries.

The Premier also said China will promote the “Made in China 2025” strategy with Swiss “Industrial 4.0” in order to achieve mutual benefits and win-win results.

Schneider-Ammann said that the free trade agreement between both sides promotes bilateral economic and trade exchanges.

Switzerland and China have huge economic potential. Switzerland is willing to expand new cooperation in with China in the area of finance, tourism and sports as well as high technological industries and high-end manufacturing industries, Schneider-Ammann said.