Switzerland in no rush to mirror EU sanctions against China

Swiss relations with China have experienced some strains in recent years. Keystone / Mark Schiefelbein / Pool

Switzerland refuses to adopt an opening round of targeted European Union sanctions against China, according to a media report.

Last December, the Swiss government quietly shelved proposals to copy-paste EU sanctions aimed at Chinese individuals and companies accused of human rights abuses.

Switzerland feared retaliatory measures from China but kept the decision quiet for undefined legal reasons, reports the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper.

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“The Federal Council [government] weighed up the interests based on various foreign policy and legal criteria,” the Swiss Economics Ministry told the newspaper.

Retaliation threat

The EU started imposing ‘thematic’ sanctions against specific Chinese targets in 2021. Initial sanctions were imposed for human rights offences, but the EU has since threatened to sanction companies that support Russian aggression in Ukraine.

China’s ambassador to Bern, Wang Shihting, warned Switzerland last November not to impose sanctions. “Anyone who really cares about the friendly relations between the two countries and who makes responsible polities will not agree to the sanctions,” he said.

The Swiss government will decide on future EU sanctions on a “case-by-case basis”, it said in a statement to NZZ.

Social Democrat parliamentarian Fabian Molina told the newspaper that the decision was “regrettable” and urged greater transparency in future.

Fraught relations

“The fact that the Federal Council did not communicate shows that it is aware of the explosive nature of this decision and tried to cover it up,” he said.

However, other political parties expressed satisfaction and relief that Switzerland is holding back from measures that might anger Beijing.

Regular Swiss-Chinese discussions on human rights resumed this year following a four-year freeze imposed by Beijing in response to Swiss criticism of Uighur “re-education” camps.

Switzerland updated its foreign policy towards China in 2021 to take into account growing concerns of China’s human rights record. This year, the government is reviewing the effectiveness of that policy.

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