99.8% of Swiss exports will gain duty-free access to China under an updated trade deal whose negotiations Beijing and Bern said they had concluded on Thursday.
The overhaul sharply expands Swiss access from about half of exports under the 2014 pact, covering watches, pharmaceuticals and precision instruments, while also adding services, digital trade and investment access.
Swiss officials said China also accepted stricter labor and environmental rules and, for the first time in one of its FTAs, a reference to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The deal offers Switzerland added protection as US trade policy still clouds its export outlook: Washington has capped tariffs at 15% in principle, but has not signed a binding accord after once threatening 39% levies.
China is Switzerland's third-biggest trading partner, and bilateral trade has already reached 46 billion Swiss francs, or $57.6 billion, so far in 2026; formal signing is planned before year-end.