Multinational companies hold panel discussion on coronavirus in Beijing

A multinational enterprises panel discussion, themed battle, humanity, recovery and future, was held in Yizhuang, the economic and technological development area in Beijing, on Friday.

Jointly hosted by China Daily, Beijing Radio and Television Station and Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area Administrative Committee, the event offered entrepreneurs from 10 multinational corporations, including Mercedes Benz, Bayer Healthcare and GE Healthcare, a platform to share their thoughts on the novel coronavirus pandemic with each other and the audience.

The Beijing Benz Automotive Company resumed operation on Feb 10, with 99 percent of its employees coming back to work, or more than 13,000 to be exact.

Bayer Healthcare donated 300,000 Resochin tablets to China to help control the pandemic.

GE Healthcare maintained the production of its computerized tomography and X-ray machines even during the most difficult time of the pandemic.

Varian never suspended manufacturing cancer radiotherapy equipment, and even built a new production line, with the help the government, during the pandemic, assuming the role as global supplier after its factories in the United States were shutdown.

All of the seven senior executives spoke highly of the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area Administrative Committee’s support, which they called indispensable to help them mitigate the repercussions of the pandemic.

Founded in 1992, the development area is now home to more than 26,000 enterprises from over 40 countries and regions, and the four main industries in the area are information technology, automotive, healthcare and equipment manufacturing.

According to Chen Xiaonan, deputy director of the administrative committee, the development area has seen not a single local residents infected with the virus till now thanks to the committee’s painstaking efforts on pandemic control; the administrative committee has never compromised its services and work during the pandemic so as to expedite the resumption of industrial production and business operation.

By mid-March, all large and medium-sized enterprises in the development area had resumed operation, which, Chen said, reflects the companies’ corporate social responsibilities.