BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday sent a congratulatory message to Guy Parmelin on his assuming presidency of the Swiss Confederation.

Xi recalled that during his state visit to Switzerland in 2017, the two countries announced the launch of a joint study on upgrading the China-Switzerland Free Trade Agreement, and that under President Parmelin's impetus, negotiations on the upgrade have made positive progress.

At present, Xi said, unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise, and joint efforts by the two countries to support free trade is a vivid reflection of the high-level development of bilateral relations, injecting more certainty and stability into global development and prosperity.

Xi pointed out that 2026 marks the 10th anniversary of the China-Switzerland innovative strategic partnership and also the first year of China's 15th Five-Year Plan, presenting broad opportunities for innovative cooperation between the two countries.

Xi said he attaches great importance to the development of China-Switzerland relations, and stands ready to work with President Parmelin to continuously expand mutually beneficial cooperation and elevate bilateral relations to new heights for the benefit of the two peoples.