As of April 2025, Sino-Swiss trade has been growing steadily, driven by innovation cooperation and high-end industrial complementarities, with bilateral trade exceeding USD 65 billion in 2024, up 8.3% year-on-year. China’s exports to Switzerland are dominated by electric vehicles (25% of exports), photovoltaic equipment and consumer electronics, while Swiss exports to China are focused on precision machinery (e.g. ABB industrial robots), biopharmaceuticals (Novartis and Roche’s exports of innovative medicines to China are up by 22%), and luxury goods (watches and jewellery exports amount to CHF 4.8 billion). The renewal of the China-Swiss FTA Upgrade in 2024, the elimination of 98% of Swiss tariffs on industrial goods in China, and China’s further opening up of its financial services market, with Swiss banks allowed to expand their RMB bond underwriting business in China. Despite the indirect impact of EU semiconductor export controls on the supply chain, China and Switzerland jointly developed third-generation semiconductor material (e.g. gallium nitride) technology and launched the Alpine Green Hydrogen Corridor project, which saw cross-border technology licensing transactions surge 35% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2025. Future cooperation focuses on carbon neutrality, healthcare digitisation and the ice and snow economy (Harbin 2025 Winter Olympics equipment cooperation).
Freight from China to Switzerland
| Type of transportation | Transportation time | Transportation costs |
| FCL (20-foot container) – Basel | Approximately 20 to 30 days | $2,420 |
| FCL (40-foot container) – Basel | Approximately 20 to 30 days | $4,260 |
| Air Freight | Typically 4 to 5 days | $4 per kilogram |
Understanding import taxes and duties
1. Base tariff framework
Average tariffs: very low tariffs on industrial goods (0.7 per cent on average) and high protective tariffs on agricultural products (16.3 per cent on average).
China’s areas of strength: thanks to the China-Sweden FTA (upgraded in 2024), 98 per cent of China’s industrial exports to Switzerland (e.g. machinery, electronics, textiles) enjoy zero tariffs, and green products such as photovoltaic modules and electric vehicles enjoy zero tariffs. Green products such as photovoltaic modules and electric vehicles are fully exempted from tariffs.
2. Tariff rates for key categories
Luxury goods: 0% import tariff on Swiss watches, but subject to 8.1% value-added tax (VAT); 1.2% tariff on jewellery materials.
Agricultural products: Dairy products (e.g. cheese) have tariffs as high as 35%, but the FTA allows some Chinese nuts and tea to enter Switzerland at a preferential rate of 5%.
Pharmaceuticals and chemicals: zero tariff on raw materials, finished products need to meet Swiss GMP certification to be tax-free.
3. FTA Dividends
Coverage: Switzerland has signed FTAs with more than 40 economies around the world. Chinese enterprises can use Switzerland to transit exports to EU and EFTA countries, avoiding part of the EU’s anti-dumping tax on China (e.g., the tariff on bicycle parts labelled in Switzerland has been reduced from 48% to 0%). 48% to 0%).
Rules of origin: Sino-Swiss joint R&D products (e.g. biomedicine) can accumulate the value of raw materials from both sides, making it easier to obtain ‘Swiss Made’ certification.
4. Non-tariff barriers and tariffs
Environmental surcharges: Carbon Border Tax (CBT) on non-EU imports from 2025, with an additional CHF 50 per tonne on Chinese steel and aluminium products.
Value-added tax (VAT): standard rate of 8.1%, imported goods with declared value ≤ CHF150 are exempted from customs duty and VAT (commonly used for cross-border e-commerce parcels).
5. Customs clearance efficiency
Digital process: Swiss Customs ‘e-Dec’ system supports electronic pre-declaration, 90% of goods can be cleared within 24 hours, and high value goods can apply for ‘fast track’. High value goods can apply for ‘Fast Track’ (3 hours release).