Siemens China

The quake resulted in a loss of more than 200 lives and thousands injured, with nearly 1,000 seriously so. Major structural damage occurred — 2,986 kilometres of road and 327 bridges were damaged, 24 substations and 224 power lines were destroyed, and 724 fixed and mobile communication base stations were damaged leading to communication breakdown in 16 townships. Many buildings collapsed and it was reported that nearly 10,000 homes had been damaged. The people of Sichuan have had their lives devastated once again and must start the rebuilding process for the second time in just over five years.

The Sichuan Government responded by deploying thousands of soldiers and medical staff to assist with the emergency effort, and excavators and other heavy machinery was used to shift earth that had blocked roads and rivers as a result of landslides.

GM of the Grand Mercure Shenzhen

At the Chamber we coordinated efforts amongst staff to put together aid packages including milk powder, food, hygiene products and clothes, which were delivered by the Shunfeng courier company free of charge. We also sent letters of condolence to the Sichuan Provincial Government, the Chengdu Municipal Government and the Ya’an Municipal Government, and a letter was drafted and sent to member companies and friends of the Chamber asking them to support the earthquake relief effort by donating supplies and funds.

The response we received, either from those responding to the Chamber’s call or those who had already instigated their own efforts, was fantastic and we are pleased to acknowledge their generous efforts below:

• ABB (China) Ltd made a cash donation of RMB 2 million through the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA) and were on standby to assist local power companies restore power to the region.
• Allianz mobilised their employees to donate and to volunteer for relief efforts.
• Arcelor Mittal China donated vital medicines worth RMB 30,417 through Shan Yi Xing (an NGO).
• Atlas Copco (Nanjing) Construction and Mining Equipment Ltd made a cash donation of RMB 81,056 through Save the Children.
• Baluff Sensors (Chengdu) made a cash donation of RMB 20 thousand to the Chengdu, Xindu District Government.
• BASF China donated RMB 2 million in cash through BASF Stiftung, a Germany-based charitable foundation. BASF set up an employee programme and have continued their support for local schools that were rebuilt following the 2008 earthquake.
• Bayer Greater China Group made a cash donation of RMB 1 million through the One Foundation and donated medical supplies and public hygiene products totalling approximately RMB 8.36 million. They also initiated an employee donation drive, pledging to match all employee donations, with the total funds raised being handed to the One Foundation at a later stage.
• BSH Home Appliances (China) Co Ltd made a cash donation of RMB 500 thousand through the CFPA, and are planning to donate a launderette.
• Coloplast China donated RMB 1 million in cash and wound care products to the value of RMB 3,219,600 through the China Foundation for Disabled Persons (CFDA).
• Evonik Degussa (China) Co Ltd made a cash donation of RMB 500 thousand through the Sichuan Provincial Charity Federation, and called for voluntary donations from all employees in the Greater China region.
• Grand Mecure Shenzhen Oriental Ginza donated bed sheets, clothes, water and medicine and mobilised their employees to participate in relief efforts.
• NIVEA (Shanghai) made a cash donation of RMB 200 thousand, RMB 88 thousand of which came from employees, through the Shanghai Song Ching Ling Foundation.
• Siemens China donated medical supplies totalling more than RMB 2.4 million and sent an engineering team from Siemens Healthcare to Ya’An hospitals to check and fix medical equipment.
• Thyssen Krupp (China) coordinated donations and support from all of their branch offices.
• Wharf Group (Chongqing Times Square and Chengdu IFS) made a cash donation of HKD 10 million.

On behalf of Secretary General Adam Dunnett and all Chamber staff, we would like to extend our thanks to our members and friends for such prompt and generous actions.

Our thoughts remain with the people who have been affected by this disaster and we hope that they can put their lives back together as quickly as possible.