“Beijing’s Headquarters in Europe”: Sino-Swiss Relations in the Cold War and Lessons for Today
Recent developments on Iran and Cuba have highlighted Switzerland's diplomatic role during the Cold War and beyond. China represented yet another special case: Until the late 1960s, its most important embassy in Western Europe was in fact in Switzerland, argues Wilson Center Swiss Fellow Ariane Knüsel. Both Switzerland and China benefited from this relationship -- but it was not without problems.
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Overview
Recent developments on Iran and Cuba have highlighted Switzerland's diplomatic role during the Cold War and beyond. China represented yet another special case: Until the late 1960s, its most important embassy in Western Europe was in fact in Switzerland, argues Wilson Center Swiss Fellow Ariane Knüsel. Both Switzerland and China benefited from this relationship -- but it was not without problems. Based on newly declassified records, Knüsel will discuss how issues like espionage, trade and Tibetan refugees impacted bilateral relations between Switzerland and China during the Cold War -- and how they continue to affect Chinese foreign policy today.
Speakers
Christian F. Ostermann
Woodrow Wilson Center
Ariane Knüsel
Postdoctoral Researcher SNSF, University of Fribourg, Switzerland; Associated Researcher Priority Program Asia and Europe, University of Zurich, Switzerland
Hosted By
Global Europe Program
The Global Europe Program addresses vital issues affecting the European continent, US-European relations, and Europe’s ties with the rest of the world. We investigate European approaches to critical global issues: digital transformation, climate, migration, global governance. We also examine Europe’s relations with Russia and Eurasia, China and the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. Our program activities cover a wide range of topics, from the role of NATO, the European Union and the OSCE to European energy security, trade disputes, challenges to democracy, and counter-terrorism. The Global Europe Program’s staff, scholars-in-residence, and Global Fellows participate in seminars, policy study groups, and international conferences to provide analytical recommendations to policy makers and the media. Read more
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