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Former Federal Councillor Ueli Maurer has accepted an invitation from Beijing to attend celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.
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Beijing is hosting a major military parade, with Ueli Maurer on the guest list alongside Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un. The former Federal Councillor sees no problem with this. He does not have an official mandate from Switzerland.
Next week, China plans to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War with the largest military parade in more than ten years. Beijing has invited state guests from all over the world for the event. Among them are Kim Jong-un from North Korea, coup leader General Min Aung Hlaing from Myanmar and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. Vladimir Putin is guest of honor.
Alongside the who's who of autocratic regimes is a Swiss national: Ueli Maurer. The former Federal Councillor is taking part in the celebrations at Beijing's invitation, reports SRF, although the SVP politician's trip is not based on an official mandate from the Federal Council. The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) was also unaware of this.
Ueli Maurer apparently sees no problems with the trip. It is important to maintain contacts and relations with China, the former Minister of Defense and Finance told SRF.
Maurer had already shown a decidedly China-friendly attitude as Federal Councillor. During his two terms as President of the Swiss Confederation, he traveled to Beijing in 2013 and 2019 and met with China's President Xi Jinping.
