#WeAreInThisTogether Media Roundtable Go back »
2020-04-17 | All chapters
On 13th April, the European Chamber held a cross-chapter online media roundtable with key international and domestic media. Hosted by President Joerg Wuttke, this meeting was attended by chairs of all local chapters and Brussels representative.
President Wuttke first introduced the #WeAreInThisTogether social media campaign to show that Europeans can cooperate very well with Chinese colleagues. He then shared business comeback situation, difficulties for companies etc. Afterwards each chapter's chair shared their insights from local perspectives.
Below are excerpts from Reuters, New York Times, CGTN, Financial Times and Neues-Deutschland.
Chinese Manufacturing Recovering, but Demand Now a Concern
13th April, Reuters
Manufacturing in China, the original epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic, has largely recovered, but now shutdowns in the rest of the world are threatening the supply of key parts and demand, a European business group in China warned on Monday.
“On the manufacturing side, it actually has been recovering quite well, surprisingly well,” EU Chamber of Commerce President Joerg Wuttke said at an online news briefing. “But the shutdowns in the major markets... have hit our demand story as well as the supply chain,” he added.
China’s Economy Shrinks, Ending a Nearly Half-Century of Growth
16th April, New York Times
Beijing has closed the country’s borders so tightly that even foreign residents of China who have gone overseas are not allowed to return. That has slowed big construction projects and other investments that need technicians and other specialists who cannot re-enter the country, said Cheung Yup Fan, the chairman of the European Chamber of Commerce in the city of Tianjin.
Foreign investment still optimistic about China, no mass outflow: MOFCOM
16th April, CGTN
The chairman of the Chamber's Nanjing chapter Bernhard Weber echoed the president's sentiments, saying most of their member European companies are manufacturing for the Chinese local market, and "growing market" itself is enough for the companies to stay even with the pandemic…."If you have a product that is successful in this market, and the supply chain is localized in China, then you are very well put together. Why do you wanna leave?" said Weber.
China’s economy: the risk of a second coronavirus wave
18th April, Financial Times
“Companies are all back to work and working without restrictions [although] wearing masks in the office is normal and wearing masks outside is normal,” says Paul Sives, head of the European Chamber of Commerce in southwest China, of the situation in Chengdu.
“I worry that [the ban on foreign residents] is going to be for quite some time,” says Mr Sives. “There will be a second wave of issues that companies will be affected by very soon.”
George Lau (Chair of the Chamber's South China chapter), who runs an inspection and certification business in southern Guangdong province, says “the traffic jams are almost as bad as before”.
China stützt Daimler, VW & Co.
15th April, Neues-Deutschland
"Many production facilities in Europe are closed while they are back in operation in China," said Jörg Wuttke, President of the European Chamber of Commerce in Beijing.
"When you leave the house, you get the feeling that Shanghai is already back to normal: shopping malls are open, the streets are full," says Carlo D'Andrea, who heads the European Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai: "Our main problem at the moment is, however, that many European employees, including key decision-makers, do not come to the country. Of course, that also influences the performance of the companies. (translated version, original in German)