China slowly recovering production while international community still battles COVID-19

中, 코로나19에 미중 갈등 '2중고'...경제 정상화 더 재촉

China is slowly but steadily powering up its production lines,... as the government pushes to bring the country out of the economic slump caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many of China's factories,... especially those established through international investment,... are even operating around the clock.
Kim Hyo-sun reports.
While the rest of the international community is still battling the COVID-19 pandemic,... the Chinese economy is slowly getting back on its feet.
The Beijing Benz Automotive plant in the Chinese capital,... established through a joint venture between Germany's Daimler and Chinese partners,... resumed production in mid-February when the virus was still spreading fast throughout the country.
The workers keep 4 or 5 meters of distance between each other,... and they wear protective face masks at all times.
Disinfection is also a must.
At the plant,... one car is completed every five minutes on average.
While production is not an issue,... the factory is concerned about sales.
"But our experiences in April and the recovery that we see in the market is giving us a positive view, of how things will continue to develop in China. Moderately positive. Obviously with a lot of caution, because there're many things need to be managed over the next few months, not only in China but also globally."
SMC China, a joint venture with a Japanese pneumatic engineering company, has slowly but steadily recovered production to pre-pandemic levels.
Since it reopened at the beginning of February,... it has supplied components for over 17-thousand face mask production lines in 500 factories across China.
"So far in the global supply chain of SMC, the factory in China has returned to normal state of production and we are playing a role of major global supplier."
The Chinese government allowed factories deemed crucial to supply chains,... especially those involved in the supply of medical products,... to reopen in early February despite the pandemic.
This shows Beijing's strong commitment to bring China out of the economic slump caused by the pandemic.
It can also be interpreted as Beijing's efforts to maintain foreign investment as the U.S. continues to criticize the Chinese government for its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic at the outset.
Kim Hyo-sun, Arirang News.