Executives of multinational companies have voiced their confidence in China's bright future while the country is fighting against the setback brought by the novel coronavirus outbreak.
The deadly coronavirus that first broke out in central China in December has developed into a major crisis disrupting not only people's daily lives but also many industries.
However, the growth of new infections has stabilized in the last few days, after a series of thorough containment plans were taken. Meanwhile, the country's efforts to bring people's daily lives and businesses back to normal have pumped up the confidence of foreign business operators in the country.
Merlin Swire, chairman of Swire Group's Hong Kong-based branch:
"No doubt, this epidemic is weighing heavily on people's minds and having a profound impact on day-to-day lives. But the Chinese government and its people have adopted the most rigorous preventive and control measures to combat the virus. I have full confidence that under the able leadership of the central government and with the support of tens of thousands of hardworking and brave medical professionals and volunteers, China will overcome this challenge."
Nathan Blecharczyk, co-founder of Airbnb and chairman of Airbnb China:
"We are incredibly proud and appreciative of the relentless efforts by the Chinese people to combat the virus. This crisis does not change the importance of China to Airbnb... We will continue to invest in China and do all we can to support our community of hosts there. We have strong confidence about China's strong capabilities to win the battle."
Rich Lesser, CEO of Boston Consulting Group (BCG):
"I want to reach out to share how committed BCG is to making a positive difference in this difficult time… I want you to know that BCG will be by your side to make a contribution in whatever ways we can... I'm confident that the country and its business community will be able to do this in the challenging weeks and months ahead."
Scott Zhang, Honeywell China president:
"We appreciate the central and local governments' measures to stabilize business. And foreign-funded companies will enjoy the same treatment as local enterprises. We always trust the power of 'Made in China' and the resilience of China's economy. We believe, as we stand in solidarity, we will end this epidemic soon and strive for a bright future."
Herbert Diess, CEO of Volkswagen Group:
"I see millions of people joining forces to win the battle against the coronavirus. Though the situation is very serious, I'm deeply convinced that China will overcome it with solidarity and dignity... We live in one world and we share all of the challenges of humanity, only together we truly solve them."
Jim Fitterling, CEO of Dow:
"I have been impressed by the resilience of Dow's Chinese colleagues just as I have been impressed with China's perseverance and determination to manage the crisis."
"Even while this crisis continues to unfold, It has reminded us about one truth of the world we live today: We're interconnected in ways both large and small. And what impacts our partners and friends impacts all of us... And we look forward to a time very soon when we can resume business as usual."
Niels Christiansen, CEO of Lego:
"We will continue in China like we have been doing, like we are doing. We continue investment, continue building our organization, continue trying to get the Lego brand to many more families and kids in China."
"They [the government] have taken very serious measures quite quickly and come up with pretty clear guidelines... We've been following those guidelines and are pretty confident that kind of concrete measures would be a good way to deal with it."
Dimitri de Vreeze, Co-CEO of Royal DSM:
"Our thoughts are with everyone impacted by the coronavirus. The Chinese government has being taking the right measures with huge intensity and huge efforts."
"People always ask 'Will China recover?' I think that's the wrong question. The question should be 'When will it recover?' Because you [China and Chinese people] have shown in the past: resilience, perseverance and strength. That's also what we see today and we will see for the future."