Companies from Germany, France and Switzerland plan to charter planes to bring their executives back to China amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and Chinese authorities are likely to open express
channels to facilitate their comeback and revitalize economic activity, sources told the Global
Times on Wednesday.
The German Chamber of Commerce in China is organizing a flight with Lufthansa to assist
German executives to fly back to China. The flight will leave from Frankfurt and land on
Shanghai on May 25, an employee of a German firm told the Global Times on Wednesday.
Other European countries such as Switzerland and France may also charter flights to get corporate
executives back to China, a person familiar with the matter told the Global Times.
"We are in constant contact with our members as well as with the Swiss and Chinese authorities.
There is an urgent need for travel and we do our best to help develop solutions that take into
account this need and take care of everyone's safety," Daniela Reinau, deputy general manager of
the Swiss Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Beijing, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
In view of the rapid spread of COVID-19 across the world, China on March 28 temporarily
suspended entry by most foreign nationals.
In a bid to reduce the coronavirus' hit on the economy, efforts will be made as soon as possible to
open up "express access" for exchanges of key business representatives and technicians, Chinese
State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday.
Foreign firms play a vital role in driving economic growth as the country has largely contained the
outbreak in the country, industry insiders said. Shanghai, which has the largest number of
headquarters of foreign companies in the Chinese mainland, are striving to revive economic
activity by helping foreign managers return.
The process won't be easy, industry insiders said.
"For instance, we must first apply to local district authorities in Shanghai where the Chinese
branch is located, and show that the foreign executives are crucially needed for performing
economic, trade, scientific or technological activity," an employee of a Chinese branch of a
German company based in Shanghai told the Global Times on Wednesday.
"The foreign national can get an invitation after all the documents are processed and approved by
local authorities, and the process may take a week… then he may apply for a new visa at a
Chinese embassy or consulate," the person said. After the foreign manger gets a visa, a flight to
China can be booked.
"But the process for obtaining a visa will also be affected by the pandemic situation in the foreign
national's home country," he said.
"The process is complicated, but many foreign firms understand it is necessary to take such
measures to prevent the virus from spreading and we should cooperate," the employee said.
Passengers must take COVID-19 tests and offer proof of negative test results that were valid
within 48 hours before departure from Germany. They will also need to go through 48-hour
quarantine after arrival in Shanghai. During quarantine in Shanghai, a mandatory COVID-19 and
antibody test will be required for each passenger, the employee said.
China requires international travelers to the country to undergo a 14-day quarantine, which was
mandatory, said Yang Zhanqiu, deputy director of the pathogen biology department at Wuhan
University.
But since China has largely contained the virus, it is possible that the quarantine period could be
shortened in some circumstances, like those of German managers returning to work in China.
They are required to take COVID-19 tests before they depart, Yang told the Global Times on
Tuesday.
The results of an antibody test can be known within hours, so the two-day quarantine can ensure
safety, Yang noted.
Edmund Yang, a Pricewaterhouse Coopers partner in Beijing, told the Global Times that some of
the firm's clients want to get their staff back to China as early as possible.
"Some multinational companies are exploring the options for bringing their expatriates back to
China, including applying for special approval from the relevant authorities and arranging charter
flights," he said.
As of April 28, 76.6 percent of foreign companies in China had resumed more than 70 percent of
their production capacity, according a survey of 8,200 key foreign-funded firms in the Chinese
market by the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM).
The number of newly established foreign-funded firms in China reached 9,616 in the first quarter,
with foreign direct investment up 6.5 percent year-on-year to 242.28 billion yuan ($34.16 billion),
data from the MOFCOM showed.
The German Chamber of Commerce did not comment when reached by the Global Times on
Wednesday.
