ZURICH: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang sees a looming free-trade deal with Switzerland as a touchstone for Beijing's growing ties with foreign nations, he told a Swiss newspaper on Thursday ahead of a landmark visit to Europe.Li was scheduled to arrive in Switzerland late on Thursday for trade-focused talks in what is the first stop on his debut visit to Europe since taking over in a once-in-a-decade power transfer in Beijing.In an opinion piece published in the Zurich daily Neue Zuercher Zeitung, Li wrote that the upcoming deal and his trip itself were "symbolic of China's openness to the outside world".Li, who took charge as premier in March, is on his maiden foreign tour and arrives in Switzerland fresh from talks with neighbours India and Pakistan, before heading to top European trade partner Germany at the weekend.Economic issues are set to be sharply in focus in his meeting with the Swiss ...
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