Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang(R) shakes hands with President of the Swiss Confederation Doris Leuthard before their meeting in Bern, capital of Switzerland, on Jan. 26, 2010. [Xinhua/Xie Huanchi]

Visiting Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang on Monday called for closer economic and trade ties with Switzerland, highlighting priorities for future cooperation.

"China and Switzerland are major economic partners to each other. The economic and trade cooperation serves as an important basis for the development of bilateral ties," Li said when meeting with a group of Switzerland's leading entrepreneurs.

China has a huge market demand and potential for further development, while Switzerland has a competitive edge in scientific research and certain industries and is home to many world-class companies, Li noted.

Li said the economic and trade cooperation between China and Switzerland remained stable despite the adverse impact of the global financial crisis.

"The two sides worked together in their fight against protectionism. This contributed to the steady growth of bilateral trade," he said.

Li proposed that the two countries should deepen their economic ties through further liberalizing trade and investment, standing firmly against all forms of protectionism and pushing for an early conclusion of the Doha Round of global trade talks with a more balanced and fair result.