At the invitation of President Ueli Maurer of the Swiss Confederation, Premier Li Keqiang of the State Council arrived at Zurich Airport by special plane in the evening of May 23 local time, starting his official visit to Switzerland.

Li Keqiang delivered a written address at the airport, conveying the cordial greetings and best wishes from the Chinese people to the Swiss people. He said that Switzerland is among the first Western countries to establish diplomatic relationship with the People’s Republic of China and an important European partner of China in economic, technological and financial cooperation. The choice of Switzerland as the first destination for my first European trip since I became Chinese Premier means that I hope to strengthen bilateral high-level exchanges, to achieve new breakthroughs in mutually beneficial cooperation, to enhance understanding and friendship between the two peoples and to promote the long-term healthy and stable development of the friendly relations between the two countries.

Li Keqiang said, I expect to broadly engage with the Swiss leaders and friends from all walks of life during my visit, to carry out in-depth exchanges on issues of common concern and to listen to opinions on the further development of China-Switzerland relations. He believes that this visit will promote the China-Switzerland relationship to a new level.

During his visit, Li Keqiang will hold talks with President of the Swiss Confederation Ueli Maurer, address the personage from the economic and financial sector and communicate with local people. China and Switzerland will sign cooperation documents in the fields of economy, trade, finance, human resources and education.

Upon arrival, Li Keqiang was greeted at the airport by Vice President and Foreign Minister of the Swiss Confederation Didier Burkhalter, Chinese Ambassador to Switzerland Xu Jinghu and others.

Li Keqiang arrived in Switzerland after successfully concluding his official visit to Pakistan. Upon his departure from Islamabad , Li Keqiang was seen off at the airport by Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, Interim Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Liu Jian and others.