As president of the Swiss Confederation Max Petitpierre (1889-1994) wrote to chairman Mao Zedong in January 1950 to recognize New China, his son, retired Swiss professor Gilles Petitpierre, spoke exclusively with China Daily after Xi Jinping's four-day visit to Switzerland. He described President Xi's visit as a huge success, that builds on the pioneering efforts of his father and leaders of both sides for decades.

Swiss professor Gilles Petitpierre and his wife. [Photo by Fu Jing/chinadaily.com.cn]