In China, factories shut down due to the “zero Covid” strategy

The zero Covid strategy weighs on the Chinese economy. The Bo’ao Economic Forum on Hainan Island, in the south of the country, opens on Wednesday (April 20). A forum which is the equivalent of that of Davos for Asia and which takes place against the backdrop of the resumption of the Covid-19 epidemic in China. The Chinese economy is struggling as it suffers the consequences of the lockdowns.

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Among the companies in difficulty are the factories of the Jianwei group. They are installed in particular in the city of Shenzhen and normally employ several tens of thousands of workers, but with the containment measures that China has put in place, the production of mobile phones is proving more and more complicated, even impossible.

The factories of this subcontractor no longer receive spare parts. Boss Jianqian Liang can only see the economic damage of the Covid-19 epidemic. “The impact of the epidemic is mainly at the level of the supply chain which is blockedexplains Jianqian Liang. We even had to import some parts from other Asian countries. Due to health restrictions, the accessory products we need to make mobile phones are behind schedule. So much so that our factories had to temporarily suspend their activities.”

“I really hope that the epidemic will end so that production can return to normal. I think that one day when the virus is weaker, we will have to coexist with it.”

Jianqian Liang, boss of Jianqian Liang

at franceinfo

A way of implying that China will one day have to agree to lift its zero Covid policy to live with the virus. But it’s not for tomorrow. Despite the economic damage, the official discourse repeats that this zero Covid strategy is the only way for China.