German ambassador to China warns of ‘further disruptions here’ as infections surge to previously ‘unimaginable’ levels

In poll of nearly 600 German businesses, 87 per cent said they were affected by rising decoupling tendencies between China and the United States

And only 51 per cent said they were planning on increasing their investments in China over the coming two years – a big drop from the annual average of about 70 per cent

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German firms have seen fit to “re-evaluate their engagement with China”, according to the chairman of the German Chamber of Commerce in China. Photo: Reuters

Published: 3:00pm, 15 Dec 2022Updated: 6:18pm, 15 Dec 2022

German firms in China are bracing for disruptions from surging Covid infections after the Chinese government’s decision to ease its zero-Covid policy, according to the head of the German Chamber of Commerce in China.

While there have not been closures, infections have been on the rise, especially in the north of China, and to a certain extent in the south, said Clas Neumann, chairman of the chamber.

“We hope … there will be no further lockdowns [and] we hope, of course, that we can find a way to work together here with the authorities,” Neumann said at an event on Thursday about the annual business sentiment survey.

Germany’s ambassador to China, Patricia Flor, also expressed concerns about China’s healthcare sector following Beijing’s pivot away from its zero-Covid policy.

“We have numbers of infections unimaginable before – they are hitting a population that is still lacking vaccinations,” said Flor, who was also a speaker at the event. “We don’t know, are there enough intensive care unit (ICU) beds?