"OECD tax project has international companies under control"

The free trade agreement between Switzerland and China has been in place for two and a half years, but the hoped-for successes are not yet visible. Industry representatives are nevertheless optimistic and emphasize that it will still take time for the agreement to take full effect. Implementation is proving difficult, partly due to the need to adapt the working methods of 50,000 Chinese customs officials. The agreement, which is considered Johann Schneider-Ammann's flagship project, is intended to make 95 percent of the export volume duty-free over the next few years. Although exports to China have grown by 27% since 2010, growth is slower than without the agreement. Experts such as Ivo Zimmermann from Swissmem and Marcel Sennhauser from Scienceindustries nevertheless see positive developments and emphasize the long-term benefits and the need to overcome bureaucratic hurdles.

Topics in the publication

• Free trade agreement between Switzerland and China
• Trade relations between Switzerland and China
• Difficulties in implementing the free trade agreement
• Economic impact and analysis
• Long-term prospects of the agreement
• OECD BEPS tax project
• Transfer pricing documentation and country-by-country reporting (CbC)
• Events and symposia