European companies are developing ties with China, and moving their supply chains onshore.

Around 60 per cent of European companies are planning to expand their China operations this year – up from 51 per cent. Over 585 respondents took part in the questionnaire through the European Chamber of Commerce. Businesses answered questions about their recovery from COVID-19.

European companies said China’s resilience and recovery from the pandemic made the nation an important source of profits and growth.

In all, half the respondents said profits in China were higher than the global average – 38 per cent high than a year earlier.

“The resilience of China’s market provided much-needed shelter for European companies amidst the storm of the Covid-19 pandemic.”

THE SURVEY REPORT

BMW AG and French company, LVMH SE are some of the companies who have turned to China since the pandemic.

Three-quarters of all survey respondents reported a profit in the last year. Meanwhile 14 per cent broke even, which was around the same as previous data.

Onshoring operations

Around a quarter of surveyed companies are onshoring their operations. But nine per cent of companies are actually thinking about moving their investments out, the lowest on record.

Charlotte Roule, from the European Chamber of Commerce said companies are thinking more about their supply chains.

“The main point is to develop supply chain as much as possible here, as far as it’s possible, to provide what’s needed for the market here,” she said.

But 40 per cent of surveyed European companies said China’s business environment had become more political in the past year alone.

China’s President, Xi Jinping recently called for Chinese officials to create more favourable relationships with Europe and the United States.