Dear SCCC members

In our last newsletter I wished you all a healthy Chinese New Year. We all needed this as the Chinese New Year 2020 was not as joyful and festive as in previous years. All over the globe the CNY festivities were cancelled or postponed, also the events planned by the Chinese Embassy and Consulate in Switzerland.

I sincerely hope that none of you or your family members and friends are or will be affected by the outbreak of the new form of the coronavirus.

We are, however, all affected by the economic measures taken by the Chinese Government to get control over the outbreak and to contain the virus. The extended CNY holidays till at least mid-February and the delayed return to the workplace in many of the manufacturing centers will impact supply chains globally. In addition, travel to and from China is affected. We should expect a slower than usual return to normal levels of productivity throughout China and all industries.

Therefore, it may be worthwhile to check with your suppliers the dependency of critical parts from China in your production processes.

Various members and institutions have asked the chamber, if we can be of help in the provisioning of protection masks or other hospital material needed in China. Upon checking with suppliers, we learned that the best approach is to have Chinese customers order protection masks directly from local manufacturers. Stocks in Switzerland and all over Europe have been depleted, and newly produced products are best shipped to China to avoid logistical delay. Therefore, the chamber refrains from providing respective material. Thank you for your understanding.

This Caixin’s website hosts a real-time news ticker on the coronavirus developments.

The chamber is also focusing on the 70th anniversary of the China-Swiss diplomatic relations as well as on the 40th anniversary of the Swiss-Chinese Chamber of Commerce. The diplomatic relations between Switzerland and China started on January 17, 1950, with a diplomatic cable from Swiss Federal President Max Petitpierre to Mao Zedong, stating that Switzerland recognizes the People’s Republic of China. Please check our website for events and news on these anniversaries.

I wish you all a good start into the year of the Golden Mouse and hope that I can focus on more positive and joyful topics in my next newsletter.

With best regards,

Felix Sutter

yòng rén bù yí, yí rén bú yòng.

Do not choose the one you don’t trust and trust the one you chose.