Swiss president: Openness is shared value of China and Switzerland

Ahead of President Xi Jinping's upcoming visit, Swiss President Doris Leuthard said during an interview with China Daily on Thursday that both leaders share the same "values and philosophy" that only openness and inclusiveness can bring win-win results for the global economy. [Photo by Fu Jing/chinadaily.com.cn]

Having visited China last August, Leuthard, took over from Johann N. Schneider-Ammann as president of the Swiss Confederation at the beginning of the New Year.

Schneider-Ammann paid a state visit to China in April and during the meeting with Xi agreed on an innovative strategic partnership, which he said gave an added dimension and fresh impulse to Sino-Swiss relations.

During the visit, Switzerland signed up as an observer to the partnership agreement between China and sixteen Central and East European countries.

Leuthard ,who was born in 1963 and was president of the federation in 2010, visited China in August and had a meeting with Vice-President Li Yuanchao.

The Swiss government is made up of the seven members of the Federal Council, each of whom has the same status, rights and obligations and are elected by the United Federal Assembly for a four-year term of office.

Each member of the Federal Council heads one of the seven departments of the Federal Administration and the President of the Swiss Confederation is elected for a one-year term.

Leuthard said she is busy reading the documents and articles sent from the Swiss embassy in Beijing to have a better understanding of the members of the top-level delegation.

Leuthard said she wanted to know where they originally came from, their education and what they had done before. "I also need to know the current debates and discussions in China," she said. "Of course, I also need to know what are China's challenges ahead."

In this way, she said, she could prepare for the visit better and explore deeper what both sides could do in the future.

"Our services have spent a lot of time preparing for Xi's visit,"said Leuthard. " I know China for many years but every year it is different, so I have to read more to follow up."