欧洲企业克服压力，拓展中国业务

文/张慧

苏州工业园区实景

尽管美国不断试图拉拢欧洲制裁中国，但众多强调全球合作的欧洲在华企业决定进一步开发中国市场，并扩大其在华投资。

欧洲企业代表纷纷表示，美国遏制中国的原因是担心中国可能会威胁到其世界霸主地位，但欧洲企业并不会屈从于美国，也不会陪美国玩政治把戏。

位于中国东部江苏省苏州市的太仓被称为中国的“德国小镇”，那里几家德资企业的代表向《环球时报》透露，他们不会效仿美国公司将生产迁出中国大陆；相反，他们将加强与中国同行业伙伴的商业合作，因为他们高度重视中国巨大的市场和欣欣向荣的经济。

成立于1993年的克恩-里伯斯（太仓）有限公司是太仓第一家德资企业，其部门经理埃明·盖穆斯（Emin Guemues）表示，美国在欧洲的所作所为是荒谬的，欧洲公司特别是德资公司绝不会听命于特朗普政府。

他说：“作为一家汽车企业，我们重视的是市场。与欧美国家相比，中国拥有巨大的汽车市场。中国每年的汽车产量约为2500万辆，而欧洲只有500万辆。”

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.

该公司是全球汽车、纺织和消费品行业的供应商，正在太仓建设一家新工厂作为其未来10年长期发展战略的一部分。

埃明·盖穆斯说：“德资企业绝不会退出中国市场，因为在欧洲经济萧条的情况下，巨大的中国市场提供了很多就业机会。欧洲人民需要工作来维持生计，我们在中国看到了机会。”

他提到，美国政治游戏背后的动机是担心中国日益增长的实力会威胁到其世界霸主地位。他说，美国在新冠肺炎疫情等问题上不断抨击中国，而中国应对新冠肺炎疫情的做法与美国形成鲜明对比，取得的成效也有目共睹。

未来，更多国家实力增强，单边主义是行不通的，盖穆斯说。

代表们表示，虽然位于太仓的一些德资企业正在受到当前中美关系恶化的影响，但这只是暂时的。

马勒电驱动（太仓）有限公司的总经理马塔兹·布雷齐加尔（Matjaz Brezigar）说，一些生产于中国但出口到美国的产品受到高关税的影响，他们考虑先把这些产品运回欧洲，再从欧洲出口到美国，以此避开高关税。

由于出口美国的产品占其业务的50%，所以当前的问题相当棘手。但他说，由于他们现在的目标是扩大中国市场，使中国市场在未来五年内占到其业务的70%左右，影响将会小很多。

在太仓，这种情况并不普遍，因为在中国的大多数德资企业都专注于中国市场，太仓圆桌会议主席张振伟说。太仓圆桌会议是一个连接德资企业与太仓地方政府的平台，该平台包含98家德资企业成员。

张说，德资企业更喜欢全球化和全球合作的商业形式，他们会对贸易保护主义说“不”。

在华法资企业也在增加投资。

苏州长光华医工程有限公司致力于自动免疫分析测试，其大部分股份由法国生物梅里埃公司持有。该公司首席技术官吉恩-马克·杜瓜（Jean-Marc Dugua）向《环球时报》透露，母公司将继续在苏州投资。三周前，该公司决定在现有场地附近新建一块更大的场地。

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.

他说，他十分看好中国经济。该公司目前正在中国申请新冠肺炎抗体检测新型试剂盒注册，产品预计将出口到亚洲其他国家。

2020年第一季度，苏州市使用外资42.3亿美元，比去年同期增长163%。

中国欧盟商会6月的一项调查显示，超过60%的受访者认为中国仍是全球前三大投资目的地。

中国欧盟商会主席约格·伍德克（Joerg Wuttke）在8月4日的一场新闻发布会上表示，欧洲企业对在中国开展业务充满信心，并希望成为中国发展的一部分。

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.