歐洲企業克服壓力，拓展中國業務

文/張慧

蘇州工業園區實景

盡管美國不斷試圖拉攏歐洲制裁中國，但眾多強調全球合作的歐洲在華企業決定進一步開發中國市場，并擴大其在華投資。

歐洲企業代表紛紛表示，美國遏制中國的原因是擔心中國可能會威脅到其世界霸主地位，但歐洲企業并不會屈從于美國，也不會陪美國玩政治把戲。

位于中國東部江蘇省蘇州市的太倉被稱為中國的“德國小鎮”，那里幾家德資企業的代表向《環球時報》透露，他們不會效仿美國公司將生產遷出中國大陸；相反，他們將加強與中國同行業伙伴的商業合作，因為他們高度重視中國巨大的市場和欣欣向榮的經濟。

成立于1993年的克恩-里伯斯（太倉）有限公司是太倉第一家德資企業，其部門經理埃明·蓋穆斯（Emin Guemues）表示，美國在歐洲的所作所為是荒謬的，歐洲公司特別是德資公司絕不會聽命于特朗普政府。

他說：“作為一家汽車企業，我們重視的是市場。與歐美國家相比，中國擁有巨大的汽車市場。中國每年的汽車產量約為2500萬輛，而歐洲只有500萬輛。”

Many European companies in China that emphasize global collaboration are deciding to further tap into the Chinese market and expand their investment in China in spite of repeated US attempts to build an European alliance against China.

European company representatives said the US is containing China out of fears China may threaten its dominant position in the world, but that European businesses will not succumb to US pressure or play the US’political game.

Representatives of several German companies in Taicang, Suzhou,East China’s Jiangsu Province - dubbed the Chinese town for German enterprises – Said that they would not follow American companies to move their production out of the Chinese mainland, and instead would strengthen their business partnership with Chinese counterparts as they highly value China’s huge market and promising economy.

Emin Guemues, division manager of Kern-Liebers Taicang company,the first German company established in Taicang in 1993, said what the US is doing in Europe is “stupid,” as European companies, especially German companies will not listen to the Trump administration.

“As an automotive company, we value markets and China has a huge automobile market compared with the US and Europe. China produces around 25 million cars each year, while Europe only produces 5 million,” he said.

該公司是全球汽車、紡織和消費品行業的供應商，正在太倉建設一家新工廠作為其未來10年長期發展戰略的一部分。

埃明·蓋穆斯說：“德資企業絕不會退出中國市場，因為在歐洲經濟蕭條的情況下，巨大的中國市場提供了很多就業機會。歐洲人民需要工作來維持生計，我們在中國看到了機會。”

他提到，美國政治游戲背后的動機是擔心中國日益增長的實力會威脅到其世界霸主地位。他說，美國在新冠肺炎疫情等問題上不斷抨擊中國，而中國應對新冠肺炎疫情的做法與美國形成鮮明對比，取得的成效也有目共睹。

未來，更多國家實力增強，單邊主義是行不通的，蓋穆斯說。

代表們表示，雖然位于太倉的一些德資企業正在受到當前中美關系惡化的影響，但這只是暫時的。

馬勒電驅動（太倉）有限公司的總經理馬塔茲·布雷齊加爾（Matjaz Brezigar）說，一些生產于中國但出口到美國的產品受到高關稅的影響，他們考慮先把這些產品運回歐洲，再從歐洲出口到美國，以此避開高關稅。

由于出口美國的產品占其業務的50%，所以當前的問題相當棘手。但他說，由于他們現在的目標是擴大中國市場，使中國市場在未來五年內占到其業務的70%左右，影響將會小很多。

在太倉，這種情況并不普遍，因為在中國的大多數德資企業都專注于中國市場，太倉圓桌會議主席張振偉說。太倉圓桌會議是一個連接德資企業與太倉地方政府的平臺，該平臺包含98家德資企業成員。

張說，德資企業更喜歡全球化和全球合作的商業形式，他們會對貿易保護主義說“不”。

在華法資企業也在增加投資。

蘇州長光華醫工程有限公司致力于自動免疫分析測試，其大部分股份由法國生物梅里埃公司持有。該公司首席技術官吉恩-馬克·杜瓜（Jean-Marc Dugua）向《環球時報》透露，母公司將繼續在蘇州投資。三周前，該公司決定在現有場地附近新建一塊更大的場地。

The company supplies to global automotive, textile and consumer goods industries and it is building a new factory in Taicang as part of its long-term development strategy for the next 10 years.

He said Germany companies will not move out of Chinese market, as the huge Chinese market offers jobs amid economic downturn in Europe. “People in Europe need jobs to support their family, and we see opportunities in China,” he said.

He mentioned the motive behind the US political game is that it is worried that China’s growing strength would threaten its position as the world’s leading superpower. The US has constantly attacked China on issues like COVID-19, but the results of China’s COVID-19 response in contrast with the US response has been clear for the world, he said.

In the future, more countries will get stronger, and a world with only one superpower will not work, Guemues said.

Although some German companies in Taicang had part of their business affected by the current deteriorating China-US relations, they said it's only temporary.

Matjaz Brezigar, managing director of Mahle Electric Drives in Taicang said some of the products that were produced in China but exported to the US have been subject to high tariffs, and they may consider sending these products back to Europe and exporting them to the US from there to avoid the high tariffs.

The problem is quite challenging for now, as US exportation accounts for 50 percent of their business. But as they are aiming at expanding Chinese market to have it account for about 70 percent of their business in the next five years, and the impact will be much smaller, he said.

In Taicang, such situations are not common as most German companies in China focus on the Chinese market, said Zhang Zhenwei, chairman of Taicang Roundtable, a platform linking German companies with Taicang local government. The platform has 98 German companies as its members.

German companies prefer globalization and global collaboration in doing business, and will say “no” to trade protectionism, according to Zhang.

French companies in China are also increasing investment.

Jean-Marc Dugua, chief technical officer of Suzhou Hybiome Biomedical Engineering Company, a company focusing on automated immunoassay tests with its majority shares being held by a French company bioMérieux, said that the parent company will continue investment in Suzhou. Three weeks ago, the company decided to build a new bigger site near its current site.

他說，他十分看好中國經濟。該公司目前正在中國申請新冠肺炎抗體檢測新型試劑盒注冊，產品預計將出口到亞洲其他國家。

2020年第一季度，蘇州市使用外資42.3億美元，比去年同期增長163%。

中國歐盟商會6月的一項調查顯示，超過60%的受訪者認為中國仍是全球前三大投資目的地。

中國歐盟商會主席約格·伍德克（Joerg Wuttke）在8月4日的一場新聞發布會上表示，歐洲企業對在中國開展業務充滿信心，并希望成為中國發展的一部分。

He said he had confidence in China's economy. The company is now applying for registration in China for their new COVID-19 antibody test kits, and the test kits are expected to be exported to other Asian countries.

In the first quarter of this year, Suzhou utilized $4.23 billion of foreign investment, 163 percent higher than that in the same period last year.

According to a survey by the European Chamber in June, China remains in the top three investment destinations for more than 60 percent of respondents.

Joerg Wuttke, President of European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, told a press conference on August 4 that European companies remain fully confident in doing business in China and hope to be part of the story of China’s development.