BEIJING, July 7 (Xinhuanet) -- A free trade agreement between China and Switzerland has just been sealed, a couple of hours ago. The small, landlocked nation is the second European country to ink such a deal with China, opening the doors for chocolates, watches, textiles and machinery to double in their trade volume over the next couple of years.

China and Switzerland, two very different countries, with common goal: Free trade. On Saturday in Beijing, Chinese Minister of Commerce Gao Hucheng and Swiss Federal Councillor Johann Schneider-Ammann signed the landmark free-trade agreement.

Gao Hucheng, Chinese Minister of Commerce, said, "The agreement covers very vast areas. It is of high quality and includes a lot of goods. It will bring many bilateral benefits, and the signature will promote trade relations between the two countries, which will be lifted to a higher level."

Back in May, China’s Premier Li Keqiang and Swiss President Ueli Maurer inked a memorandum of understanding on the free trade deal, paving the way for the official signature. Switzerland is not a member of the European Union. The signing comes after China signed a free trade deal with Iceland, which likewise stands outside the 27-nation EU bloc.

The Swiss deal has been under negotiation since 2011. It is expected to boost economic and trade cooperation, but also send the world a strong signal to fight against protectionism.

The Alpine country, which is famous around the world for its chocolates, watches and banks, is hopeful to see trade volumes increase two-fold in the near-term.

Johann Schneider-Ammann, Swiss Federal Councilor, said, "I expect that we will have a lot of positive developments ahead of us with China, provided that we see an economic recovery in the markets. Trade volumes are likely to double over the next couple of years. Thanks to the Free Trade Agreement signed today, direct investments will also rise significantly."

Bilateral trade between Switzerland and China hit more than 26 billion US dollars in 2012. The top Swiss exports to China are watches, pharmaceuticals and chemicals, and machinery, while textiles and machinery head the list of imported Chinese goods.

(Source: CNTV.cn)