The free trade agreement between Switzerland and China includes standards over social and labor rights

The China-Switzerland free trade agreement officially entered into effect on July 1 2014 is the second such agreement that the Chinese authorities have signed with a European country and the first with a country in the top 20 richest economies in the world. The agreement makes explicit reference to another agreement on cooperation over labor and employment between both Ministries for Employment. The Swiss Federation of Trade Unions intends to continue the dialogue over social standards and maintain pressure on the Chinese authorities even if it considers the provision as too weak.