Investors remain confident in Zhejiang
(China Daily, WANG LING)
2003-06-04
HANGZHOU: Overseas investors are keen on business
prospects in East China's Zhejiang Province despite the SARS outbreak, with more
expressing an interest to invest in the area.
Top officials from Terumo Medical Products, Japan's largest medical
instrument manufacturer, said last week that the company is planning to invest a
further 2 billion yen (US$16.8 million) in China soon.
"We see a lot of good potential in the Chinese medical instrument market. We
have also decided to move more manufacturing bases from Japan to China to lower
our production costs and become more competitive," said Kazuho Oishi, president
of Terumo Medical Products Hangzhou Co Ltd.
"We highly appreciate the serious and responsible attitude that the Chinese
Government is showing with regard to the epidemic. Therefore, we feel really
optimistic about the future of our company here," said Oishi.
According to the president, construction of the company's new factories will
be completed in Hangzhou next month, covering an area of 30,000 square
metres.
He said the new factories will focus on the production of a highly-advanced
medical instrument - the angiographic catheter - which is currently only being
used in surgical operations in developed countries.
"The completion of this new programme will enable the Hangzhou company to
realize an annual sales value of 400 million yuan (US$48 million)," said
Oishi.
Many other foreign investors in the province have echoed Terumo and chosen to
carry on with their business and investment plans, despite the SARS outbreak,
although the disease did present some problems.
"We did once worry about our production when SARS first arrived, as many
earlier planned activities outside the city were cancelled. But now, quite out
of the blue, we are doing very well," said An Shiyou, executive manager of the
Swiss-invested Happy Arts and Crafts Co Ltd in Ningbo.
|
