President Keller-Sutter Holds 45-Minute Meeting Solely with US Secretary of State…
Fails to Meet Key Trade Negotiation Officials Like Commerce Secretary…
“Switzerland’s 10% Tariff Request Rejected by the US”,
Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter (left) and Swiss Economy Minister Guy Parmelin hold a Q&A session with reporters after concluding a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on the 6th (local time)./AFPBBNews=News1, ‘The Swiss President, who urgently visited the US to seek a reduction in the announced 39% reciprocal tariff rate, returned home empty-handed without meeting President Donald Trump.’,
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, ‘On the 6th (local time), Bloomberg cited a knowledgeable source stating that a Swiss delegation led by President and Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter visited the US and presented a new trade proposal but returned to Switzerland without achieving any progress on tariff reduction. According to flight tracking service FlightAware, President Keller-Sutter departed for Switzerland from Washington Dulles International Airport in the afternoon.’,
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, ‘According to foreign reports, President Keller-Sutter headed to the US without an official invitation from the White House to persuade President Trump. She met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for 45 minutes to discuss bilateral issues. However, Reuters reported that since the visit was without prior coordination with the US government, she was unable to meet President Trump or other high-level officials related to trade negotiations, such as Commerce Secretary Howard Luttig.’,
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, ‘Following the meeting, President Keller-Sutter posted on social media that she discussed bilateral cooperation, tariffs, and international issues with Secretary Rubio. She told Swiss public broadcaster SRF, “It was a very good meeting with very friendly and candid dialogue about common themes and interests.” Secretary Rubio also posted on social media that they discussed the importance of a fair and balanced trade relationship between the US and Switzerland and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening mutual defense cooperation.’,
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Reciprocal tariffs with major US trading partners (4/Graphic by Lee Ji-hye, ‘ Bloomberg noted that President Keller-Sutter’s announcement lacked detailed explanations regarding the discussions, pointing out that Secretary Rubio is not in charge of the US-Swiss trade negotiations. President Keller-Sutter did not respond to questions about what proposals she made for tariff reduction. A source told Reuters that President Keller-Sutter requested a 10% tariff, but the Trump administration rejected it.’,
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, ‘Swiss sources indicated that the Trump administration is potentially seeking to expand exports of US energy and defense industry products to Switzerland. Switzerland is exploring ways to support this in exchange for tariff reductions. The US is a major importer of Swiss watches, machinery, and chocolate.’,
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, ‘With no particular success from President Keller-Sutter’s US visit, Swiss-made products imported into the US will be subject to a 39% tariff starting from 12:01 am Eastern time on the 7th (1:01 pm on the 7th Korean time). This is the highest tariff rate among developed countries.’,
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, ‘Initially, the US announced a 31% reciprocal tariff rate on Switzerland. However, after a phone call between President Trump and President Keller-Sutter on the 31st of last month, the tariff rate was increased to 39%. Foreign reports suggest that the lack of concessions from President Keller-Sutter during that call angered President Trump, leading to the tariff increase. Bloomberg Economics predicts that if the 39% tariff is broadly applied to Swiss sectors such as the pharmaceutical industry, it could reduce Switzerland’s GDP by up to 1% in the medium term.’, ‘article_split’,
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