CMS, China talks about Legal and Liability Issues Caused by the COVID-19 Outbreak - What to Know and What to Do

On March 19, 2020, the German Chamber of Commerce in China held a webinar on the topic “Legal and Liability Issues Caused by the COVID-19 Outbreak - What to Know and What to Do”. Dr. Ulrike Glueck, Managing Partner and Head of Corporate Practice Area Group, Mrs. Jeanette Yu, Partner and Head of Employment & Pensions Practice Area Group of CMS, China and Mr. Michael Munzinger, Counsel of CMS, China have been invited to give speeches and share insights on the topics. The COVID-19 has become a global concern. Delegates from German Chamber of Commerce in Korea also joined the webinar.

Dr. Sigrid Winkler, Executive Chamber Manager at German Chamber of Commerce in China was the moderator of the webinar and gave opening remarks.

Mr. Michael Munzinger introduced from the point of view of Force Majeure and Contract Law and analyzed the COVID-19 impact on contracts, what is Force Majeure and what should companies do to mitigate risks?

Mrs. Jeanette Yu introduced the updated policies on quarantines in different locations. She analyzed the challenges faced by the companies on how to handle the employment relationships during the epidemic period and further introduced the obligations of employers and the actions on HR management under current policies.

Both China State and local governments have issued a series of preferential policies to support the businesses. Companies are very concerned about the policies and are eager to know what to do in practice. Dr. Ulrike Glueck gave an overview of the latest tax and financial support by central and local governments and highlighted the policies in Shanghai, Beijing, Suzhou, Kunshan, Taicang and Zhejiang Province.

Prior to the webinar, on March 6, 2020, the German Chamber of Commerce in China has invited CMS, China to provide answers to a series of questions on ‘Force Majeure’ clauses, employment laws and regulations, and the extent to which they might apply to the current situation relation. Please visit https://china.ahk.de/news/news-details/german-chambers-8th-update-questions-answers-on-force-majeure-contract-and-employment-law for details.

CMS experts in over 40 countries will continue monitoring the regulations and policies and will share the updates with you timely.