[member only] China's COVID outlook worsens Go back »
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Time2022-11-25 | 14:00 - 15:30
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Venue:Zoom Online
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Address:
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Fee:Members: 200
*This is a member-only event, members, all foreign consulates and embassiess in China, media partners are eligible to join free of charge.
Earlier this month, the National Health Commission published 20 measures to ‘optimise’ COVID containment policies in an attempt to reduce the burden on local governments and the economy. The measures prescribe a set of more specific and targeted methods rather than a ‘one-size-fits-all’ strategy. Their release sent a positive signal to the market, with businesses looking forward to a more pragmatic approach that would mitigate the impact of COVID regulations on both their operations and social interactions.
However, the November resurgence of COVID outbreaks throughout China that followed the easing of certain control measures—which has impacted major cities such as Guangzhou, Chongqing and Beijing—has resulted in mounting public anxiety and a loss of business confidence. It has also highlighted the need for a strong vaccination drive across the entire population to effectively control the spread of the virus.
Beijing has so far endeavoured to avoid implementing some of the more overly restrictive measures that have been seen in other big cities as they attempt to bring the spread under control. However, business activities, including travel, are being curtailed, schools have gone back to teaching online, and more and more public facilities are being shut down.
Will a full lockdown be enforced if case numbers continue to spiral? What are the biggest challenges faced by businesses and their families? And how can the government balance effective COVID policies with economic growth?
To address these issues and more, the European Chamber welcomes experts from the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Western Academy of Beijing and chairs from several of the Chamber’s chapters across China.
Agenda
14:00–14:05 Remarks from the President
- Jörg Wuttke, president, European Chamber
14:05–14:20 Updates from local chairs (by alphabet order; 2 minutes for each)
- Haiyan You, General Manager, Nanjing Chapter, European Chamber
- Erich Kaiserseder, Board member, Shenyang Chapter, European Chamber
- Klaus Zenkel, chair, South China Chapter, European Chamber
- Dr. Jennifer Birdsong, Board member, Southwest China Chapter, European Chamber
Hosted by Jörg Wuttke, president, European Chamber
14:20–14:50 Insights sharing
- Dr Bernhard Schwartländer, former chef de cabinet of Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization; global health envoy of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Dr Marta Medved Krajnovic, Head of School, Western Academy of Beijing
14:50–15:30 Q&A
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For further information contact Luyang Syvänen lsyvanen@europeanchamber.com.cn
Speakers
Mr. Jörg Wuttke
Mr. Jörg Wuttke
Jörg Wuttke is Chief Representative of BASF China, based in Beijing. Wuttke is President of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China – an office he already held from 2007 to 2010 and from 2014 to 2017. Wuttke is a member of the Advisory Board of the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS) in Berlin. He contributes regularly to the Swiss financial blog https://themarket.ch/. Wuttke has lived in Beijing for more than three decades.
Mr. Francis Liekens
Mr. Francis Liekens
Francis was appointed Vice President, Atlas Copco (China) Investment Co., Ltd. in August 2016. Based in Shanghai, he oversees Atlas Copco Group’s operations in Greater China, with more than 45 legal entities, and reports as the Corporate Group’s representative to the CEO and CFO of the Atlas Copco Group.
Over the past 30 years, he has held various managerial positions with increased responsibility within the Atlas Copco Group and has been working most of his time in different countries in Europe and Asia. Prior to his current position, he was the General Manager of Atlas Copco Singapore & Malaysia.
Francis is a Belgian citizen and holds a master’s degree in business administration. He has the Permanent Resident id in China.
Mr. Klaus Zenkel
Mr. Klaus Zenkel
Biography:
Born in Germany and graduated in Industrial Engineering. Until late 80's mainly remained in Germany near his hometown in Erlangen, where he had a position at Siemens Healthcare HQ.
From 1993 to 2006 he was based in Hongkong, Malaysia, Germany and China for several executive management positions within the Siemens Healthcare organization, one of which was Technical Director at Siemens Healthineers facility(SSMR), based in Shenzhen's Hi-Tech Industrial Park.
In 2006 start-up and developed from scratch the Shenzhen subsidiary of a Swiss Company, Imedco AG. Imedco is global player involved in the healthcare Industry, manufacturing MRI shielding solutions for hospitals and research institutions.
Involvement at European Chamber South China Chapter board since 2016. As an active board member of the European Chamber South China Chapter he holds the Chair of the board position since 2021. In the capacity as EU Chamber Vice President supports the member companies and meets with government officials on a regular basis to discuss the current economic and technological issues.
In March 2021 Klaus was elected as a Director of the Board at the Swiss Chamber in South China. He is also a member of the German Chamber in South China.
Dr. Jennifer Birdsong
Dr. Jennifer Birdsong
Dr. Jennifer Birdsong is an educator of 25 years, first as a classroom teacher, then school principal, and school district director in the public sector in the United States. She has lived in Chengdu, China, for seven years serving as the Elementary Principal, then Academic Principal, and now as Head of School at Chengdu International School. Dr. Birdsong has presented at professional and educational conferences around the world, as well as, given guest lectures in university classrooms for undergraduate and graduate teachers in the field of education during her career. She has presented on educational topics related to classroom and school leadership practice, as well as, topics on supporting and valuing staff and how to create a positive working environment. Dr. Birdsong proudly serves as a board member of the Southwest EUCC.
Dr. Bernhard Schwartländer
Dr. Bernhard Schwartländer
Dr. Bernhard Schwartländer, Global Health Envoy, the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also the former Chef de Cabinet of Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the WHO, is a medical doctor and holds a doctorate in medical epidemiology. He received his education and professional training in Germany and the US at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He use to be the WHO Representative in China. Before joining WHO in China, he served as Director for Evidence, Policy, and Innovation at UNAIDS headquarters in Geneva and as the United Nations Country Coordinator on AIDS in Beijing, China. Prior to these assignments, Dr. Schwartländer held a number of senior international positions including the Director for Performance Evaluation and Policy at the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria; Director of the World Health Organization’s HIV Department; and as the Director of Evaluation and Strategic Information at UNAIDS.
In 2000, Dr. Schwartländer undertook a special assignment at the World Bank to perform economic analyses on the cost and impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the responses to it. Prior to joining the United Nations, Dr. Schwartländer was the Director of the national AIDS program in Germany and the Director of the Division of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the Robert Koch-Institute in Berlin, the central biomedical and infectious disease research and reference laboratory of the federal Ministry of Health, Germany.
Dr. Schwartländer has published widely in scientific journals and books and taught applied epidemiology in Berlin. He brings extensive experience in development policies as well as infectious disease epidemiology and programming at global and country levels.
Dr. Marta Medved Krajnovic Krajnovic
Dr. Marta Medved Krajnovic Krajnovic
Dr. Marta Medved Krajnovic has worked and lived across eight countries. She has a deep understanding of international education, leadership and governance, and sincere appreciation for different cultures.
Before joining Western Academy in Beijing in 2018 as the Head of School, Marta served as the Director of Stockholm International School for five years. Before that she worked at the University of Zagreb as Associate Professor and Director of the Doctoral program in Applied Linguistics. Marta has authored books and research articles on second-language acquisition, multilingualism and education.
She has served as a board member of international schools and as chair and member of various Croatian and EU educational committees and projects. She is currently a board member of the Academy for International School Heads (AISH).