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GENEVA, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- As China-Switzerland relations gain new momentum, their people-to-people and cultural ties have yielded fruitful results, said Jiang Jianguo, a senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC), here during a visit in Switzerland earlier this week.
During his stay, Jiang, the deputy head of Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and head of the State Council Information Office, attended a series of cultural events which demonstrated the deepening ties of and communication between the two peoples.
On Tuesday, a photo show named "Beautiful China, Beautiful Switzerland" was launched at the Palace of Nations, exhibiting around 100 photos vividly portraying scenic landscapes and cultural customs of the two countries.
The photos revealed the long-time friendship enjoyed by the Chinese and Swiss people, said Jiang at the opening ceremony.
Switzerland has maintained its friendship with China over the past six decades since the two established diplomatic relations in 1950. It was also one of the first European countries to recognize China's market economy status and ink a free trade agreement with the country.
Jiang also attended the opening ceremony of the Chinese Book Center, the first of its kind in the country, held on Wednesday at the University of Zurich.
The center was "an important achievement in the sphere of cultural exchange between Chinese and Swiss people," said Jiang.
Also this week, a month-long exhibition on China-themed books kicked off in Geneva, with Chinese President Xi Jinping's book "Xi Jinping: the Governance of China" and other highly-acclaimed books on display.
Jiang's trip came days ahead of Xi's first state visit to Switzerland scheduled for Jan. 15-18.
Jiang also participated in an international symposium under the theme "Innovation and Development" and a roundtable talk for Chinese and Swiss media.
