Premier's visit 'milestone' for Sino-Swiss relations(2)

China is Switzerland's largest trading partner in Asia, while Switzerland is China's seventh largest trading partner and its sixth largest foreign investor in Europe. The bilateral trade volume reached 19.31 billion U.S. dollars in 2012, up 12.8 percent year on year.

According to the ambassador, 900 branches of some 400 Swiss companies are present or active in China, while 65 Chinese companies have business in Switzerland.

He said he sees great potential for more Chinese investment, "because Switzerland is quite an attractive location for investment, especially for headquarters, research and development and commercial activities."

He also noted that in Switzerland, there is a strong interest in China.

"China is far away, people (in Switzerland) are willing to find out what is China (like) today," he said. "This creates a lot curiosity and interest, especially in relation with the very long and rich history of China."

The ambassador described the cultural lives of people in both Switzerland and China as "dynamic."

"A lot of Swiss artists like to perform in China and to be in touch with the Chinese public, and this creates a lot of opportunities to develop mutual understanding and cultural exchanges," he added.

In regards to students, de Watteville said about 1,200 Chinese students are studying in Switzerland, while roughly 1,000 Swiss students are studying in China.

Geneva became home to the first Confucius Institute in Switzerland in 2011, and Basel is soon to host the second. The ambassador said he believes this will contribute to cultural exchanges and mutual understanding between the two countries.

The two sides have also seen growing enthusiasm for each others' tourist attractions, according to the ambassador.