President Xi touches down in Switzerland

Chinese President Xi Jinping, third left, and his wife Peng Liyuan, fourth left, sit together with Swiss President Doris Leuthard, right, in a train on their way to Bern, in Switzerland, on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2017.   [Photo\Agencies]

President Xi Jinping believes his visit to Switzerland will inject positive energy into the recovery of the world's economy.

Xi made the remark in a speech after arriving at Zurich airport on Sunday ahead of the Davos world economic forum.

Swiss President Doris Leuthard hosted a grand welcome ceremony at the airport for Xi.

The Chinese president is on a four-day trip to Switzerland until Wednesday, during which he will pay a state visit to Switzerland, attend the forum and visit some Geneva-based international organizations.

In his speech, Xi said that he will work with other relevant parties to explore long-term measures for the world's development, establish a community of common destiny for mankind and safeguard international peace and stability.

Mentioning that Switzerland is one of the Western countries that had recognized the People's Republic of China at the earliest stage, Xi said that the China-Switzerland relationship has become a model for cooperation between two countries with different social systems, development periods and sizes.

As a country that has long upheld a neutral position, Switzerland, with numerous international organizations headquartered, has played a positive role in the resolution of global and regional affairs, Xi said..

Last year, China and Switzerland established a strategic partnership, which Xi said has taken the bilateral ties to a new level. It was the first such partnership China had developed with another country.

On Friday, Xi said in an article published by Neue Zürcher Zeitung, a leading Swiss daily newspaper, that China will continue to be a huge market supporting world economic growth and a hot destination for foreign investment.

"We meet at a time of angst about the prospects of the world economy, growing backlash against economic globalization, and rising populism and trade protectionism," Xi wrote in the article.

anbaijie@chinadaily.com.cn