Dear members and friends of SCCC

A month ago, we were hopeful that the COVID-19 would pass rather quickly. We came to realise that it will stay longer with us; the outbreaks in Europe, Africa and also South America have to be tackled now. It is important to stay calm and to act rationally, and to follow the directives of the local governments and health experts. If you are sick or have been exposed to a person infected by COVID-19, comply with the instructions given, e.g. self-quarantine yourselves, as the Chinese citizen have demonstrated in the past five weeks.

China is in the process of restarting its economy, which is not an easy task. Hundreds of millions of people must be brought back to work, and every part of the value chains needs to resume production. At the same time,  it is imperative to maintain the health of the workers and their families. In our conversation with the Chinese Embassy in Switzerland it became clear that the authorities in China try their best to master this unique situation. One of the biggest challenges is providing SMEs with enough liquidity to avoid bankruptcies and unemployment. On our SCCC website you find several links on that topic. The measures taken by the Chinese government to support the economy are also available to Swiss companies with operations in China.

The recent developments are also a stark reminder of global connectivity and interdependence of economies across borders and continents.

Supply chains have been interrupted and areas for improvement emerge. For many boards of companies and government institutions «review and improve» will certainly be a topic in the second half of 2020. But this must be addressed after we have mastered the crisis on the societal and economic level. As a chamber, we will support this process and, for example, facilitate industry roundtables.

Many conferences and social events have been postponed, and we see a flurry of activities and events from June onwards. With the catch up of the economy, the third and fourth quarter 2020 will certainly be very busy for all of us. Please save the date of September 4, 2020, in your calendar, as on that day we will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Swiss Chinese Chamber of Commerce with a China conference and a festive dinner.

In order to keep you informed about current events, we have included a series of links on our SCCC website, which will be continuously updated.

With best regards,

Felix Sutter

Jī bù kě shī, shí bù zài lái.