BEIJING, May 30 (Xinhua) -- Impressed by the quick recovery of the Chinese economy, Florent Menegaux, Michelin Group CEO, in a recent interview with Xinhua, expressed his strong confidence in the future of the Chinese market despite the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic.
Menegaux attributes his confidence in China's market to the great potential and strong resilience of the Chinese economy, and Michelin China's unified efforts in optimizing its management during the epidemic prevention and control period.
Michelin's three factories in China have all resumed work and production, while none of the over 6,000 employees of Michelin China was infected by the virus, said Menegaux, adding that Michelin's business performance in China is expected to recover to the planned level in June, and their experience will benefit Michelin's other sites in the world in their fight against the virus.
Menegaux told Xinhua he has noticed how the Chinese government rapidly built new hospitals for COVID-19 patients, reduced taxes and fees to support enterprises, and used big data to monitor the epidemic situation, creating a favorable environment for the resumption of business.
"The Chinese government reacted swiftly to the COVID-19 epidemic and protected the Chinese people in a right way, which is why China minimized the impact of the virus," said Menegaux.
He noted the key importance of ensuring sustainability in economic development as the epidemic wanes, and reducing the impact on the environment as social mobility increases.
China can turn the challenges into opportunities with a more environment-friendly and open economic model, he said.
Menegaux also praised China's achievement of lifting over 700 million people out of poverty, saying he is eager to see more policies for promoting green mobility and boosting the construction of infrastructure in the future.
Entering the Chinese market in the late 1980s, Michelin is about to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its Innovation Center in Shanghai and the 25th anniversary of its factory in Shenyang, which demonstrate Michelin's commitment to its long-term development in China, noted Menegaux.
In addition to the tire business, with supporting services and solutions, in the Chinese market, Michelin plans to foster green mobility, launch its hydrogen fuel cell project and expand Michelin Guide to cover more cities in China, said Menegaux.
Michelin has confirmed its participation in the third China International Import Expo (CIIE), with sustainability expected to be Michelin's theme of the exhibition. Menegaux noted the CIIE will be helpful for the economic recovery, and the company expects to meet more business partners through the platform. Enditem
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