UNIQLO Liu Jing: China Stores Now Only Resume 60-70%

"The government is taking measures to control the epidemic, but the global economy must not be completely shut down because it will lead to a longer and more painful recovery period," said Tadashi Yanai, chairman and chief executive officer of Fast Retailing, Uniqlo's parent company.

Since taking over a small clothing store in 1984 to the head of the world's third largest clothing retailer, Ryui Masa has called on big companies to develop and implement better strategies during the epidemic to maintain continuous operations.

The outbreak of the epidemic in the world has resulted in the cancellation of many transnational trade and economic activities. In response, Ryui Masa said: "we must not sacrifice people's lives, especially the economy, to solve the epidemic. Without income, we can not survive. In Europe, only Sweden allows shops to continue to operate. The idea behind it is that the government does not interfere, and whether individuals or businesses decide whether to continue to operate.

"I can understand that the government requires enterprises to suspend operations to control the epidemic situation, but in addition to closing all the doors, the company should try to work out a better solution. Is it possible to prevent infection from expanding while coexisting with the epidemic, and to maintain the continued operation of enterprises? Once the recession is over, the whole society will get into trouble. "

It takes time for the once suspended economy to revive itself again. When the epidemic was most serious in China, we closed 390 stores. Although the recovery is basically complete, sales are only 60 to 70%. If the time is too long, customers will not come back. The same is true in other industries. It's all the same in China, let alone Japan. "

During the development of xungang group, Ryui Masa faced many disasters and crises, such as the economic crisis of 2008, the East Japan earthquake and the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011. "The spread of the epidemic makes us rediscover how deep and close the links between the countries of the world are. In 2008, smart phones have not been popularized. Since then, the rapid development of technology such as network, AI, machine technology has brought more people into the tide of globalization.

"This new coronavirus pneumonia is a hundred years' crisis since the 1919 Spanish influenza. In the light of current policies, the great recession is inevitable. The International Monetary Fund also predicts that the new crown will trigger the worst global recession since the great depression, "Ryui Masa said." we must realize that the new crown will lead to a similar crisis with the Spanish flu, the great depression, the Second World War, and so on. The world is one. With the constant movement of human beings, it is possible for anyone to go to a place at a certain point in time. It is a fact that the whole world needs to work together to explore how to cure the new crown pneumonia.

Ryui Masa also believes that the government needs to provide relief for the hardship people, but also prevent them from acquiring the habit of taking money from the state. "We must take into account the situation after the outbreak, and then decide the way the funds are invested."