While the world’s attention turns inwards onto their own policy responses to the COVID-19 outbreak, Beijing is springing back to life. Security restrictions remain in place and millions of people remain at home, but there has been more noise at street level than there has been in months. China’s lockdown on Wuhan and Hubei is gradually being lifted following President Xi’s visit to the city. His visit is being considered by many to be a harbinger of an announcement of “victory” against the virus, as infection rates drop steadily and more and more temporary hospitals are shut down. Business issues here are now being overshadowed by the expanding crises in Canada, Europe and the U.S. as the impact of coronavirus detonates globally, but of course China is still far from being out of the woods.

Working remotely and ensuring social distancing across the entire country are the main reasons that China did not experience the explosive infection growth that was predicted from the outset. Personal sacrifices to reduce interactions for the next 14 days or so are not very exciting prospects but are key to the combined efforts in putting this issue behind us. Here in Beijing, a local representative of a CCBC member firm dropped into the office last week – it was the first time she had left her apartment in six weeks. I believe these individual efforts demonstrate the resolve and strength of China and its people to overcome obstacles.

As China moves closer and closer towards stifling the COVID-19 challenge, we decided to partner with the Embassy of Canada last week for our first public event of 2020. While I believe many that would have liked to attend were still reticent to go out into larger crowds, we still had quite a full house for our fireside chat with Nathan VanderKlippe, Asia Correspondent for The Globe and Mail. Ambassador Barton was a gracious host, and Nathan was able to share his extremely unique perspective into a China that so many of us rarely see past the surface of. He revealed his history as a reporter, his experience as the sitting head of the Foreign Correspondent’s Club of China, his views on the politicization of reporters as tools between nations, and his favourite (and most stressful) stories as an investigative journalist in China. Having filed nearly 1000 pieces in the Globe, his seven years here has been quite a ride. We’re looking forward to rolling out further public one-on-one conversations like these with more of the fascinating characters across the cast of Canadians in China as the situation on the ground here improves.

A key update this week from many cities across China was the implementation of new mandatory quarantine rules for any arriving passengers from all foreign countries. The difference this time is that the quarantine must be carried out in a predetermined hotel, based on the area of residence of the arriving party. Furthermore, the cost of the two-week stay must be borne by the returnee. This measure will of course be temporary, but obviously a major hindrance in the resumption of international business should any executive have been considering a trip any time soon. Note, however, that the city government of Shanghai has not followed suit with the “all country” rule – Canada is on the list of those departure points that can self-isolate in their own homes in the city as opposed to a hotel. Processing times and deplaning experiences are being described as nightmarish in terms of time required, but the lodgings are inexpensive, clean and comfortable, and the friendliness of the staff has been lauded. These policies evolve quickly and regionally, so please reach out if you have questions.

We at the Canada China Business Council have experienced “rainy-day” periods like this in the Canada-China relationship before. Over our 42 years, there have been many highs and lows, and this is certainly among the most challenging periods – if not the most challenging. I’d like to remind our members that this is the time when an organization like the CCBC is at it’s most valuable to your business. We have never been better positioned to act as an extension of your business in China while we collectively experience a combination of political tensions, a sucker-punched economy, and a global pandemic all at once. As always – we implore you to activate the CCBC offices across Canada and China to keep you educated and to service your commercial needs on the China side while your attentions are on businesses at home, and more importantly, on your families and friends during this stressful period. Take advantage of our presence here to help you stay the course – in a few months time, the dividends will pay off.

For a more in-depth discussion on what this assistance could include, contact myself (noah[at]ccbc.com.cn) or Edward Dai (edward[at]ccbc.com.cn) in Shanghai – we are here for you, our members, both active and future, and will continue to seek opportunities even in these times of trouble.