THE VOICE

In accordance with local government implementing regulations, the European Chamber’s office hours from 3^rd to 9^th February are as follows:

• Beijing and Chengdu: normal operating hours 9am-6pm, office is open with staff rotation.
• Tianjin, Shenyang: normal operating on-line hours, 9am – 6pm, physical office is closed.
• Shanghai, Nanjing, South China, Chongqing: office is closed.

The general managers of all local chapters are available in case you have any specific questions:

• Beijing: Carl Hayward
• Nanjing: Haiyan You
• Shanghai: Ioana Kraft
• South China (Guangzhou and Shenzhen): Francine Hadjisotiriou
• Southwest China (Chengdu and Chongqing): Sally Huang
• Shenyang: Marine Chen
• Tianjin: Catherine Guo

Since the 28^th January, when the European Chamber sent a request for medical supplies to its members, overseas companies and European Chambers worldwide, we have received many positive responses and have been connecting them with local governments in need.

If you are aware of suppliers outside of China who could help procuring the following items, please contact Ms Helei Fu at hfu@europeanchamber.com.cn.

• Medical rubber protective clothing
• Medical protective masks (N95, GB19083-2010) 
• Surgical masks (YY0469-2011)
• Medical safety glasses
• Face shields for medical use
• Disposable protective clothing for medical use

In the fight against the new coronavirus, the European Chamber has provided support to regulators procuring medical devices overseas, such as searching relevant international standards and ensuring suppliers have permission to sell overseas.

Many European Chamber member companies have made financial contributions, donated medical protective supplies, medical devices, consumable and disposable medical devices, pharmaceuticals, disinfection supplies, cleaning supplies and nutritional products to Wuhan and other affected cities, and have provided free logistics channels as well as free 24-hour online clinics.

To better track donations from foreign companies, we have been asked by the relevant authorities to collect donation information from member companies. If your company has made a donation, please send your details, or related press releases, to Michelle Zhang at mzhang@europeanchamber.com.cn.

The most important consideration is that practical steps are taken to contain the virus in order to bring the situation under control, and that individuals continue to monitor government and World Health Organisation (WHO) updates and heed professional, medical advice.

Nevertheless, the potential economic and financial costs could be considerable, as happened with SARS in 2003 when consumer-facing businesses suffered serious downturns in demand. It is possible that the economic cost this time around will be slightly higher, due to the increased weight of China in global GDP terms, the now stronger role of private consumption in China and the virus breakout having been more easily spread during the Chinese New Year period. Logically, the economic impact will also be different per region, with Wuhan and it's province of Hubei being hit harder than, for example, Beijing or Guangdong province. Outside of China, economic ripples may hit Europe through everything from supply chain disruptions to a sharp drop in tourists. 

A positive difference compared to the SARS outbreak, is that the capacity of China’s health authorities and medical professionals is far greater than two decades ago, and the government has already taken steps to be more transparent with the spread of the virus, as well as critical details like its complete genome. 

With stronger communication, increased knowledge of how to control viral outbreaks, greater preparedness in terms of resources and people, and deeper ties with international groups like the WHO, the European Chamber is confident that this outbreak can be contained much quicker than SARS was.

On the European Chamber website, you can check real-time numbers of confirmed cases in China and epidemic curve from 13th January till now.

The European Business in China Business Confidence Survey (BCS) 2020 will be open for completion on Monday 3^rd February, and will remain open until midnight on 21^st February. An email will be sent to primary contacts from all eligible member companies, containing a link to the survey and a unique access code.

The BCS is one of the European Chamber's most important initiatives undertaken on an annual basis. It serves not only as a valuable source of information for European Chamber members, but also as a powerful advocacy tool for the European Chamber in its ongoing dialogue with policymakers in China and Europe.

The survey should take approximately 30 minutes to complete. Please note that it does not need to be completed in one sitting. You can save your data and return at a later stage to finish the survey. All the information received from our members will remain strictly confidential.

Should you have any questions at any stage of the process, please contact Rachel Rapaport at rrapaport@europeanchamber.com.cn.