Chinese, Swiss FMs hold talks on cooperation

BEIJING - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with Swiss Vice President and Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter on Thursday, pledging to enhance cooperation.

Wang thanked the Swiss side for extending sympathy after Lushan, a county in southwest China's Sichuan Province, that suffered a 7.0-magnitude earthquake on Saturday, which has left 196 dead, 21 missing and 13,484 injured.

China highly values the bilateral ties, Wang said, noting that the country would like to work together with Switzerland to focus on tangible cooperation on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit.

The two nations could reinforce coordination on bilateral as well as multilateral affairs, and positively carry forward the China-Switzerland free trade negotiations, Wang added.

Burkhalter expressed hope to maintain high-level exchanges with the Chinese side, deepen exchanges and cooperation in various fields, and complete free trade negotiations at an early date.

The two sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern.