The agreement in force
The original FTA was signed on 6 July 2013 and entered into force on 1 July 2014. Its chapters address goods and services, customs and origin procedures, technical and sanitary measures, intellectual property, sustainable development and institutional arrangements. The collection includes the main agreement alongside schedules and annexes that specify how particular commitments operate.
Associated instruments and cooperation
The downloads extend beyond tariffs. They include an agreement on labour and employment and instruments concerning technical cooperation, certification and related fields. This documentary structure connects market access with rules, administration and cooperation. The subjects and legal identity of individual instruments remain distinct even when they are presented within the same bilateral treaty collection.
The 2026 enhancement package
On 20 August 2026, the two sides recorded the conclusion of enhancement negotiations. SECO’s factsheet describes proposed changes concerning goods access, services, origin rules, digital trade, competition and sustainable development. Its projected trade benefits belong to that negotiated package and use specified baselines and assumptions. They are not a report of savings already realised under a newly effective instrument.
Legal review and subsequent steps
The August memorandum states an intention to finish technical work and legal review before signing an enhancement protocol through the parties’ respective procedures. The factsheet also describes signing and domestic approval as subsequent stages. The conclusion of negotiations therefore differs from the entry into force of the revised arrangements.
Status checked: 27 October 2026. The original agreement has been in force since 2014; the retrieved enhancement documents describe legal review following the August 2026 negotiation outcome. This is a Swiss–Chinese bilateral collection, with a scope distinct from EU–China relations and EU trade policy.
Original source: Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).
Related reading: Europe–China Relations · Economy and Development.