Dear Members and Friends

Best wishes to you all for a blessed and healthy Year of the Rabbit. May your visions, intentions and dreams turn into reality and come true.

It feels like the whole month of January has gone by very quickly. When we look at the number of events that have taken place and that we have helped to shape or participated in, it feels like we have already been working for two months. Is that an indication of how all of 2023 will go?

For now, it seems so. The pent-up demand for services, advice and enquiries could be an indication of what awaits us after the end of the CNY festivities. The question of whether we have pressed the ‘pause’ or ‘stop’ button as far as activities, projects or initiatives in and with China are concerned  is moot, the reality is that the Chinese Economy is back in full force. Chinese delegations are lining up to be received, and Swiss delegations are preparing their travel plans to China. Management teams are considering their best tactical approach to the current situation. If you want to conclude a contract with your Chinese partner at favorable terms, now is of course the time, not later in the year.

There are requirements that could not be met in the past three years, other demands have developed due to the changes caused by the pandemic. This leads to business-related investments and decisions. What about consumption? The savings acquired by the Chinese citizens over this period are remarkably high, and the market expects these savings to finance a wave of consumer spending that has already begun during the CNY festivities. How will this affect commodity and energy prices? This is one of the questions we will be watching closely and covering in upcoming newsletters and webinars.

Many of us have been waiting for the outcome of the relaxation of the pandemic measures and the CNY travel season. Anecdotal evidence shows that life in China has returned to normal in first-tier and many second-tier cities. It is unknown how much the health system in rural areas was stretched to its limits, the available reports indicate that overall numbers are declining.

Domestic tourism has reached numbers close to 70 to 80 percent of 2019 numbers. Domestic travel is clearly on its way back to normal. The international travel situation is also improving. The border between Hong Kong and China has been opened. Flight capacities are improving, but still not at pre-pandemic levels. Direct flights between China and Switzerland have not yet started, preparations are underway but there are no confirmed dates yet. Swiss International Airlines is intensively reviewing with all stakeholders involved when and how passenger flights between Switzerland and China can be operated. The airline is expected to inform the public about the progress and schedule in February. The same applies to Air China.

The issuance of tourist visas for China is currently not yet possible. We will update you as soon as we have confirmed dates for this specific visa category.

The next newsletter will be published in March 2023 with an update on mainland China’s economic recovery and travel requirements. Until then, we wish you a healthy and successful February.

Kind regards

Jiézú xiān dēng.

The quick-footed climb first. ("First come, first served", or "the early bird catches the worm".)