President Guy Parmelin meets with Chinese Minister of Education
Berne, 23.03.2026 — President Guy Parmelin, head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research, met with Chinese Minister of Education Huai Jinpeng in Bern on 23 March. Following the meeting, Martina Hirayama, State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation, chaired the sixth meeting of the Joint Working Group on Higher Education and Vocational Education and Training.
The talks between the two ministers focused, among other things, on vocational education and training (VET). China has undertaken far-reaching reforms to align training programmes with labour market needs, looking to the Swiss dual-track VET system as a model. Since 2014, the two countries have established a working group to improve the exchange of information and experience in the fields of higher education and VET, and to encourage mobility among students and young researchers. The Swiss delegation comprised representatives from the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation, the Swiss Federal University for Vocational Education and Training, the Swiss National Science Foundation, Innosuisse, swissuniversities, the ETH Domain and the University of Zurich, acting as the Leading House for Asia Pacific. In addition to Education Minister Huai and his delegation, various educational institutions from China were represented online.
Switzerland is committed to securing international recognition for its vocational education and training system and promotes the international mobility of students and apprentices. In this context, the Swiss government regularly receives foreign delegations and maintains dialogue at ministerial level with key partner countries. In this way, it contributes to the exchange of information, greater visibility and, more generally, a greater appreciation of the quality of the dual-track education system. Switzerland aims to make a strong showing at the WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai this coming September.
Scientific cooperation between Switzerland and China is based on a bilateral agreement concluded by the two countries in 1989. Contacts between the two countries are also fostered by Swissnex, the global Swiss network that connects Switzerland with the rest of the world in the fields of education, research and innovation, and which has had an office in Shanghai since 2008.