2019-nCoV won’t help return jobs to US: experts

An outlandish comment by US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, which counted the deadly coronavirus outbreak as a reason for the global supply chain relocation and channeling more jobs back to the US, has drawn harsh criticism from netizens and experts on Friday.

Mei Xinyu, an outspoken expert close to China’s Commerce Ministry, said Ross’ comments amount to “terrorism.”

In an interview with Fox Business on Thursday, Ross said diseases like the Wuhan coronavirus, which has killed more than a hundred people and sickened thousands, were “another risk factor that people need to take into account” when considering where to locate operations.

“It’s understandable in Ross’ capacity as the US commerce minister to lure manufacturers back, but it’s not going to happen,” Mei said. “The reality is that China possesses a productivity and cost advantage that the US and Mexico do not.”

The World Health Organization declared a public health emergency of international concern over the global outbreak of 2019nCoV on Thursday, raising wider concerns about its possible impact to the Chinese and the world economy.

Many retail chains, from H&M and IKEA to Starbucks and Apple, have temporarily closed their stores or shortened store hours in China.

Cong Yi, a professor at the Tianjin University of Finance and Economics, told the Global Times on Friday that Ross’ nationalist comment at this time is aimed at stirring emotions, and not something a rational politician would say.

“It is time for a global response to the outbreak, the relationship between China and the United States should be a cooperative one, not a competitive one,” Cong said.

“Will the US need China’s cooperation if there is an outbreak out there?” Cong said, noting that China also needs a great deal of American medical products.

Wu Yabin, a global supply chain expert at the University of International Business and Economics, told the Global Times the WHO classification won’t change China’s status as the world’s second most preferred destination for foreign investment.

“China’s complex industrial chain means any attempt to relocate out of China in a short period of time will be futile, which is why most multinational firms choose to retain their core manufacturing capacity within China amid the China-US trade war,” Wu said.

It is also a prevailing trend that manufacturers will put their production facility near to the demand and China is where much of that demand will come from, Wu noted.