MNI POLICY: China Says Companies May See Export Orders Decline

     BEIJING (MNI) - China's exporters may encounter weak external demand and

reduced orders in coming months, as the coronavirus pandemic disrupt global

trade, said Jiang Fan, a senior inspector of the Foreign Trade Division at the

Ministry of Commerce at a briefing on Thursday.

     The ministry will use fiscal, tax, financial and export credit guarantee

policy support to help exporters, said Jiang.

     Here are other takeaways from the briefing, also attended by Zhu Xiaoliang,

director of the Market Construction Division:

     - Over 60% of companies in the service sector resumed operations by

mid-March, though still under some restrictions and labour shortages, said Zhu.

     - So far, 96.4% of the country's market have resumed operations and the

trading volume of meat and vegetable have increased by more than 50% compared to

early February, said Zhu.

     - About 66.7% of foreign companies in China outside Hubei province, the

epicenter of the outbreak, recovered over 70% of their production capacities,

said Jiang.

--MNI Beijing Bureau; +86 (10) 8532-5998; email: wanxia.lin@marketnews.com

--MNI Beijing Bureau; +86 10 8532 5998; email: william.bi@mni-news.com

--MNI London Bureau; tel: +44 203-586-2225; email: les.commons@marketnews.com

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