China and Switzerland celebrate 25 years of relations

Mount Rigi is 1800m high above sea level. 

It is located in the heart of Central Switzerland and is a magnet for tourists, visiting the nearby city of Lucerne. 

Rigi is one of the most famous landmarks and places of interest for its beautiful views of the Alps. Thousands of tourists flock to the mountain throughout the year thanks to a special mountain train that takes people from the lake shores to the summit in less than an hour. 

A large proportion of these tourists are from China. Rigi is made popular in China through social media and many are eager to come here to take selfies on the mountain top. 

According to the Rigi railway, thousands of tourists from China come on a daily basis, many are part of big tourist groups. 

According to Josef Schmid, who works on the Mount Rigi Railways train, Chinese tourists are fascinated with the mountains. 

He says "I think it's the mountains all around you can see. You have a really good view into the Swiss Alps. You see the highest mountains, over 4,000 meters high. They are snow-capped at the moment and they like that very much." 

But Mount Rigi is not only famous for its views and selfie opportunities. It is a symbol of friendship between China and Switzerland. 

The Swiss "Queen of the Mountains" is twinned with Mount Emei Shan in Sichuan province in China. The partnership between the two mountains, which lie 8013 km apart, was established in 2009. The "Mount Rigi China stone" weighing around eight tons was brought from Mount Emei to Mount Rigi in 2015 in a cultural and touristic collaboration. 

A similar stone from Mount Rigi was sent to Mount Emei to symbolize their friendship. But collaboration between China and Switzerland goes beyond the mountains. 

This year the two countries are celebrating the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations. Switzerland was one of the first countries to recognize the People's Republic of China in January 1950. 

And ever since, the two nations have been working on deepening and broadening their relations.

Since 2014 China and Switzerland have had a free trade agreement that allowed for mutual market access for goods and services and enhanced bilateral economic relations. 

The two sides are currently working on modernizing this agreement through a series of high level officials' visits to China and to Switzerland.