This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Switzerland. Swiss Ambassador to China, Bai Ruiyi, stated in an interview with People's Daily Online that Switzerland was one of the earliest Western countries to recognize and establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. 75 years is a long period of time, during which Switzerland has continuously deepened its cooperation with China, and the relationship between the two countries has always been at the forefront of Western countries developing relations with China. Switzerland hopes that the two countries can continue their traditional friendship and look forward to a better future together. You see, this is a telegram sent by the Swiss Federal Government to China in 1950. ”This was the first visit of Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai to Switzerland in 1954, and he led a delegation to represent the Chinese government at the Geneva Conference. Regarding the important moments in the exchanges between Switzerland and China, Bai Ruiyi treasured them and introduced the precious historical photos displayed in the embassy one by one. Swiss Ambassador to China, Bai Ruiyi, introduced the photos displayed inside the embassy. Photo by Peng Yukai from People's Daily Online: The relationship between the two countries has gone through ups and downs, and has become a model of mutual respect and win-win cooperation among countries of different social systems, development stages, and sizes. Bai Ruiyi introduced that as early as the 1980s, Swiss companies established China's first industrial Sino foreign joint venture in China, using Swiss technology to produce elevators in China. Switzerland can also be regarded as a pioneer among European countries in signing and implementing bilateral free trade agreements. In 2013, Switzerland became the first country among the top 20 economies in Europe and the world to sign a free trade agreement with China. In the past decade, Switzerland and China have achieved win-win results through the free trade agreement, "Bai Ruiyi emphasized. Since the free trade agreement came into effect in 2014, the bilateral trade volume between Switzerland and China has significantly increased. At present, negotiations for upgrading bilateral free trade agreements have begun, and we hope to further expand mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields, "he added. Since the successful hosting of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, China's ice and snow sports and ice and snow industry have achieved leapfrog development and historic breakthroughs. Switzerland, as a strong country in ice and snow sports, has a high level of enthusiasm among its people for ice and snow sports. I am a fan of ice and snow sports myself, and of course, I am very happy to see that ice and snow sports are becoming increasingly popular in China. "Bai Ruiyi pointed out that ice and snow culture has become another window for cooperation and exchange between the two countries. The "Swiss Houhai Cabin" project, initiated by the Swiss Embassy in China and jointly developed with the Swiss National Tourism Board, with support from Xicheng District, Beijing, will open its doors in Beijing from December 12, 2024 to March 31, 2025, marking the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Bai Ruiyi stated that Swiss cabins invite tourists to experience the fun of ice and snow from a Swiss perspective, showcasing Swiss culture and quality while also becoming a platform for cultural exchange and public diplomacy between Switzerland and China. 2025 is also the 'China Switzerland Culture and Tourism Year'. Bai Ruiyi introduced that the Swiss Embassy in China also plans to carry out a series of cultural and tourism exchange activities in multiple cities in China to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. This also gave him more opportunities to visit different Chinese cities. Since taking office as the Swiss Ambassador to China, Bai Ruiyi has visited at least 40 Chinese cities. He admitted, "Beijing is my favorite Chinese city and also my home in China. It has abundant natural and historical tourism resources, distinct four seasons, and I really like it. Serving as Ambassador to China is not Bai Ruiyi's first time in China. From 2006 to 2009, he served as the Ambassador and Deputy Director of the Swiss Embassy in China. He said that compared to more than a decade ago, China has undergone significant changes and developed rapidly. For example, China's high-speed rail network was just beginning to be built back then, but now it is well connected. In addition, China's many achievements in innovation also left a deep impression on him. On the whole, foreigners' life in China has become more convenient. Bai Ruiyi has opened a special Chinese social media account to share his wonderful experience of living and working in China with netizens, hoping to strengthen direct communication with the Chinese people. At the end of the interview, Bai Ruiyi introduced to the reporter that the "white" in his Chinese name represents the white snow of Switzerland, "Rui" represents Switzerland, and "Yi" represents the long-lasting friendship between Switzerland and China. This is the name he specially chose for his work in China, expressing his good expectations for the friendship between Switzerland and China. (New Society)