Travel solves the biggest problem for British companies in China: Survey | Business and Economy

The Chamber of Commerce says China’s anti-tolerance policy has made it “extremely difficult” to bring in workers into the country.

China’s restrictions on international travel as a way to curb the control of COVID-19 are of major concern to British companies operating in the country but with more optimism than last year, a study revealed Tuesday.

“Opaque, non-compliant travel arrangements have made it very difficult to bring in foreign workers to China,” the British Chamber of Commerce in Beijing said.

While some Asian countries are slowly opening up their borders to other countries, China still has established mechanisms that include self-sufficiency and aviation and visa restrictions.

“China is a far cry from the world today more than ever since joining the World Trade Organization 20 years ago. “As global travel begins to return to the rest of the world, the difference with China is clearly visible,” the room said.

His survey, which included 288 respondents, showed nearly a quarter of companies saw the number of foreign workers fall by 2021, with 41 percent expecting numbers to drop sharply next year due to concerns about separation from family or friends, or uncertainty to return.

European and American business groups say the same thing.

Healing the ‘Weakness’

China has defended its efforts to regulate COVID as a safe way to protect its citizens and officials have said it will not change any more soon, even though the country has promised to ease restrictions slightly on US travelers.

A British study said the recovery from the epidemic was “weak”, but companies have more hope for the future in China than they did last year.

Nearly two-fifths of businesses expect their profits by 2021 to continue before the epidemic, and nearly half expect to increase from last year, it said. In a 2020 survey, only 30 percent of companies expect to earn more than last year.

About half of those surveyed were from labor, education, and higher levels of manufacturing and transportation.

Other challenges that companies have raised include the uncertainty of China’s cybersecurity laws and the high cost of labor.