China and Switzerland kicked off their first study meeting on the feasibility of a Free Trade Area (FTA) in Beijing on February 4, said MOFCOM in a statement on its website. No specific timetable was given in terms of when the FTA will be set up.

Bilateral trade between China and Switzerland reached $11.3 billion in 2008. In 2009, the trade volume dropped slightly in the wake of the global economic downturn, but the decrease was small.

Switzerland is China's ninth largest trade partner in Europe, and China is Switzerland's fourth largest global trade partner.