More than three-quarters of Japanese companies operating in China have resumed regular sales activities amid the lingering impact of the novel coronavirus outbreak, an NNA survey found.
According to the May 7-8 survey with 329 respondents, 76.9 percent, or 253 firms, have restarted sales activities including visiting clients for sales calls and meetings, with two-thirds of them returning to business as usual in April.
For assignments outside the office, a majority of firms still impose restrictions on their employees, such as banning them from using public transport or having business meals with clients.
In China, most local governments lifted the suspension on corporate activities such as factory operations and sales and marketing activities on Feb. 10 after the extended Lunar New Year holidays.
Among 76 companies that have yet to restart client visits, over one-third said they would allow staffers to start seeing clients in June. But 31.6 percent cannot predict when their sales activities will resume, the poll showed.
Most of the 329 respondents are still feeling the impact of the coronavirus outbreak due to travel restrictions and quarantine measures imposed by the central and local governments, which hamper personnel changes and relocations as well as business trips and sales activities, they said in the survey.
Of the respondents, manufacturers accounted for 50.5 percent, nonmanufacturers 40.7 percent and representative offices 5.8 percent.