Due to positive trade balance USA puts Switzerland on list of countries with "unfair trade practices"
The USA has placed Switzerland on a list of countries with "unfair trade practices". This was stated by Helene Budliger Artieda, Director of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco), in an interview with CH-Media newspapers.
09.03.2025, 13:54
10.03.2025, 05:48
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- The USA has placed Switzerland on a list of countries with "unfair trade practices".
- Helene Budliger Artieda, Director of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco), reports on the US action in an interview with CH-Media newspapers.
- Switzerland has a positive balance of trade in goods and therefore appears on this list, according to Helene Budliger Artieda.
The trade delegate appointed by President Trump, Jamieson Greer, has called on US companies to report unfair trade practices by partner countries to him, Budliger Artieda told the Sunday edition of the CH-Media newspapers. This applies in particular to G20 countries and countries with a strongly positive trade balance with the USA.
Switzerland has a positive balance of trade in goods and therefore appears on this list. "But we certainly can't be accused of being unfair: Switzerland has unilaterally abolished its industrial tariffs, we have no pharmaceutical tariffs. US companies can export their products to Switzerland duty-free," interjected the State Secretary. "We have good arguments. And we have been doing exactly what President Trump wants for a long time."
Good arguments - unclear response
"We have good arguments. And we have been doing exactly what President Trump wants for a long time," continued Budliger Artieda. Switzerland ranks sixth in terms of foreign investment in the USA. In addition, Swiss companies have created almost half a million jobs in the USA with a very high average income of 131,000 dollars per position.
According to the State Secretary, however, it is too early to say whether Trump will be receptive to these arguments. "So many decrees have been issued in the first few weeks that even in the USA nobody has a complete overview. It's unpredictable at the moment."
Computer chips and steel taxes
Otherwise, according to the Director, Seco is primarily concerned with two issues in relation to the USA: One is that Switzerland has already been placed in the second, rather than the first, category for access to high-quality computer chips for artificial intelligence under Joe Biden's administration. "That is why we may not have full access to AI chip supplies from the USA," she said.
The second topic was the Trump administration's announced punitive tariffs on steel and aluminum. "The tariffs are unfair to us because we compete with high production costs, innovation and high quality," said Budliger Artieda.
No involvement in a trade war
However, Switzerland will not get involved in a trade war with the USA. "Switzerland will not take part in a trade war," the State Secretary made clear. "What would the threat be if Switzerland, with its mere 9 million inhabitants, said we were now punishing Harley-Davidson? That doesn't impress anyone."
The EU sees things differently. If the USA also imposes punitive tariffs on the EU in April as announced, the EU wants to hit back. "And we've already had bad experiences with this during Donald Trump's first term in office. Because the EU treated us as a third country and we were also hit by its counter-tariffs," said the Seco Director. However, talks are underway with the EU. "We are also pointing out to Brussels that punitive tariffs that also affect Switzerland would be counterproductive with regard to the new bilateral agreements."