However, in 2024 relations became warmer again, with China adding Switzerland to the list of European countries whose citizens enjoy visa-free access for tourist travel.

As a result, the PRC's Embassy in Bern and the Consulate in Geneva were in charge of China's political and economic relations with France, Italy, Germany, and other countries.

[10] Chinese firms are not only entering markets for basic consumer goods such as textiles and shoes but also for chemical intermediates, pharmaceuticals, high technology parts, and telecommunications.

Switzerland has a positive trade balance with China, and both countries are expected to profit from export guarantees, protection of intellectual property and financial cooperation between their largest banks.

[17] In September 2020, the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service wrote that:[18][19] The gap between the Western liberal model and China's authoritarian state capitalism will widen further.

Despite the fact that China's threat to the world had not been visible in Switzerland, reports on the administration's disinformation campaigns, censorship and political repression of its opponents in Hong Kong and ethnic minorities in Tibet and Xinjiang marked the growing international perception of the threat posed by China.In October 2020, Switzerland signed a joint statement on the human rights situation in Xinjiang and the recent developments in Hong Kong, delivered by Germany and denouncing China.

[20] In 2021, the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) ascertained the rapid development of the Chinese economy, and concurrently the number of businesses in Switzerland that maintain contact with China was also rising.

China and Switzerland had signed a free trade agreement in 2013 to further strengthen bilateral relations, particularly in key sectors, including green tech.

Despite Washington's demands to review audit records, which Beijing resisted on national security grounds, and "the risks of Chinese companies failing to meet the expected corporate governance standards", Swiss economic relations with China were at their highest level, including with lithium battery producers, electronics and medical device makers.

[26] In the high technology sector, Swiss aerospace companies and academic institutions increased their cooperation with Chinese space exploration in connection with the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS).

[27] In 2023, Swiss authorities raided a Chinese-owned hotel in Unterbäch suspected of operating a spy ring directed at a nearby airfield hosting Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II jets.

[30] In July 2024, it was announced that China and Switzerland signed a memorandum of understanding to officially start negotiations for upgrading their existing free trade agreement (FTA).