France has finally taken measures in response to the global scare of the Coronavirus from Wuhan. The Finance minister of France has made a statement convincing the country that they should look once again into self-production and should limit the amount of products being imported in the country especially from China as the Coronavirus from Wuhan has started to cause global panic.
France finally makes a move
Bruno Le Maire, the finance minister of France has become public with his opinion that the country should look into producing their own products instead of relying on the imports from China. According to Mr. Le Maire, even battery production can be done within the country and importation of certain products to be minimized. Mr. Le Maire took a stance to focus on France's manufacturing capability saying that if the United States can do it, Europe should be able to do the same.
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Global economy is crippled because of the Coronavirus from Wuhan
Many sectors of manufacturing have been put to a halt and even big tech companies like Apple have pulled away their factories from China in hopes to minimize the risk of the Coronavirus from Wuhan. Apple first started by limiting company trips to China but has later on decreased their involvement on a larger scale. Even the MWC 2020 has taken a toll as most foreign companies have stated that they will not be attending this year. Although the biggest event in the world of tech today, most companies do not want themselves to be involved with China in fear of the virus.
Mr. Le Maire wants to take advantage of the use of state aid
According to Mr. Le Maire, it is time to tap into the state aid fund of about 3.5 billion euro and put it to good use. This is exactly the time that the state aid budget should be tapped and France should start producing their own products like batteries. Although this is one of the most logical choices to minimize the reach of the coronavirus, the final decision has not yet been announced.
The approach of France should be a responsible decision
Mr. Le Maire has given a solid statement as to why his idea is necessary when it comes to safety. According to Mr. Le Maire, "it is not protectionism, it is just responsibility" and this holds a pretty strong argument as even the citizens of France are starting to fear the deadly Coronavirus from Wuhan. Mr. Le Maire suggests that the situation be delicately handled as the country is still trying to fight racism.
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A Japanese restaurant in Paris was attacked by vandalism and the words "coronavirus" were spray painted on the door. This is a clear evidence of how some people are racist towards Asians in general. Dealing with racism is another argument and Mr. Le Maire is just worried about the sustainability of the country as a whole.
