The United States of America is Switzerland`s second largest export market. The United States and Switzerland established diplomatic relations after Switzerland became a unitary state in 1853. An agreement reached by the United States and Switzerland is the U.S. Swiss Joint Economic Commission, which covers topics such as money laundering, counter-terrorism, intellectual property rights and regulatory cooperation. There is also an agreement in which the two countries assess areas where the other government could improve trade flows and investment. [11] The United States and Switzerland signed three new agreements in 2006 that strengthened economic cooperation between the two countries. The three new agreements form the framework for enhanced political cooperation, the Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum and the Operational Labour Convention on Counter-Terrorism Cooperation. In 2008, the United States and Switzerland signed a joint declaration on e-commerce demonstrating their mutual commitment to promoting e-commerce on the prairies. Implementation in the SME sector is often not given sufficient attention to free trade agreements and the origin statements of exporting firms. To determine the country of origin, it is necessary to coordinate the management of the company, the export department, procurement, quality assurance, logistics and finance. For example, if the purchasing service changes supplier due to lower prices (old countries of origin, Switzerland, new countries of origin, China and the third country), the export department must also be informed, as this could change the country of origin. Changes in prices and production or fluctuations in exchange rates may also affect the valuation of the country of origin. If the calculations are not checked regularly and thus give false information, this can lead to retroactive payment of customs duties and significant fines against companies.
In 2004, a series of sectoral agreements (known as «bilateral II») were signed, including Switzerland`s participation in Schengen and Dublin, as well as agreements on the taxation of savings, processed agricultural products, statistics, anti-fraud, participation in the EU media programme and the Environment Agency. The EU is now China`s largest trading partner and would certainly be more ambitious than Switzerland in its relations with China. However, one of the key lessons of the U.S.-China trade war and the ceasefire agreed in the recent Phase 1 agreement is that China has sufficient capacity to withstand external pressure if the other side`s demands do not match the measures it wants to take in both directions. The agreement between China and Switzerland is much broader than the Phase 1 agreement, and it is reciprocal, but it confirms this pattern. Nevertheless, in all negotiations with China, from agriculture to steel and many types of labour-intensive products (such as clothing), the EU will naturally have its own defensive concerns and red lines.