Switzerland was one of the first western nations to recognize the People's Republic of China, in 1950, and one of the first to reach a free trade agreement with Beijing as well, in 2013. Historian Ariane Knüsel explores the special bond between China and Switzerland in Die Schweiz und China, a book she co-authored with Ralph Weber. Ariane talked about it during a Talk at the Library at the offices of Asia Society Switzerland.

GUESTS ON THIS EPISODE

Ariane Knüsel is Associate Professor at the University of Fribourg, Associate Researcher at Diplomatic Documents of Switzerland and at The Institute for Global European Studies of the University of Basel. She received her venia legendi (habilitation) in contemporary history from University of Fribourg, a PhD in History from the University of Zurich, and has MAs from Birkbeck College, University of London, and the University of Zurich. She has published widely on the history of Switzerland and China, Western diplomatic relations with China, Western media perceptions of China, and Chinese intelligence operations in Europe. Her previous publications include China’s European Headquarters: Switzerland and China during the Cold War (Cambridge University Press, 2022), 100 Years of the Swiss Consulate’s Presence in Guangzhou (EDA, Bern 2022), and Framing China: Media Images and Political Debates in Britain, the USA and Switzerland, 1900-1950 (Ashgate, 2012).

STATE OF ASIA podcast

Season 8, Episode 9 – published March 18, 2025

Hosts: Rebecca Farner and Remko Tanis, Asia Society Switzerland

Editor: Remko Tanis, Managing Editor, Asia Society Switzerland

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