Shenzhen, home to many high-tech companies and service industries, is an important place for the whole world, according to Klaus Zenkel, vice president of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China and chairman of the European Chamber South China Chapter.
“You can see many products around the world coming from Shenzhen. They may be manufactured in the Greater Bay Area but designed and developed in Shenzhen. If we go to big fairs, such as big healthcare fairs or other commercial fairs in the U.S. or Europe, you will see many companies from Shenzhen,” Zenkel said.
The European Chamber has over 1,800 members in China. The South China Chapter covers Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan and Fujian, and has around 280 members totally.
Zenkel said the recent lockdown had affected their member companies.
Zenkel visited one of these companies just after the lockdown. “I could see many folding beds inside the entrance area. But they were actually quite OK. They said they were not allowed to produce at full capacity, but they had at least 70-80% of the people and they were glad that the government was supporting them.”
Regarding the 30 supportive policies the city government unveiled March 24 to minimize the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on economic activities, Zenkel said that the European Chamber welcomes these measures.
“I think that’s a good move. The Shenzhen government knows they need to provide such support for Shenzhen to grow to the next level,” Zenkel said.