On 7 July National Council president Christa Markwalder was welcomed in Guiyang, capital of Guizhou province in southwest China, where she took part in the Swiss-Chinese dialogue and at the ECO Forum Global (EFG) as the official Swiss representative and speaker. The EFG is a think tank founded in 2009 that pursues the objective of developing, with international support, models for the future sustainable development of China. During her stay in Guiyang, Ms Markwalder also held official talks with Chen Min’er, Communist Party Secretary of Guizhou province, and Yu Zhengsheng, Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, who is the number 4 in the Chinese Communist Party hierarchy. Ms Markwalder also visited the village of Hao Huahong, inhabited by one of the many ethnic minorities in Guizhou province, the Buyei.
She then travelled to Beijing, where she was received by Chen Zhu, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, for official talks and an official dinner.
Discussions focused on the good bilateral relations between Switzerland and China, especially following the entry into force of the free trade agreement between the two countries, and on foreign policy issues.
In 2017 Switzerland and China will be celebrating the 65th anniversary of their diplomatic relations.