Switzerland Summons CCP Ambassador in the Hope of Resolving Human Rights Issues

The foreign ministry of Switzerland said on September 8th that the country had summoned the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) ambassador and expressed concern about the human rights situation in western Xinjiang.

 Switzerland believes that the best way to safeguard its interests and respect fundamental rights is to engage in a critical and constructive dialogue with Beijing, the foreign ministry stated.

 The ministry cited a report last week by the UN human rights commissioner that Communist China’s arbitrary and discriminatory detention of Uighurs and other Muslims in Xinjiang could amount to crimes against humanity.

 China’s foreign ministry has denied the allegations and described the UN report as completely illegal and invalid. Besides, the CCP embassy did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

 Switzerland, a country always uphold its neutrality, has been walking a diplomatic tightrope with Beijing, playing down the prospect of accepting Western sanctions over China’s human rights record as Bern pursues a special path with a major trading partner.

 In a new China strategy unveiled last year, Bern announced few specific policy changes and stressed the importance of the bilateral relationship. But it has spoken more openly about dissatisfaction with China’s human rights record than in the past.

 In 1950, Switzerland was one of the first Western countries to recognize the legitimacy of Communist China. Since 2010, China has been Switzerland’s largest trading partner in Asia and the third largest globally after the European Union and the United States.

 A bilateral free trade agreement came into effect in July 2014, and the two countries this year launched a joint platform to list and trade stocks.