File photo shows a view of the Lujiazui area in Shanghai.Photo:Xinhua

Multiple foreign companies operating in Shanghai, including German chemical company BASF, US manufacturing company 3M and chemical company DuPont, said they welcome the city government's decision to resume production, refuting rumors that they were reluctant to do so.

The three companies all denied rumors in their replies to the Global Times on Monday, which suggested the three companies felt it was unreasonable for them to take all responsibility, as the COVID19 outbreak has not been fully contained in Shanghai. 

BASF replied that they welcome the government's decision to facilitate work resumption of the key industries. The company noted that most of its plants had been running during the city's lockdown period, though at reduced production capacity.

3M said their production lines producing medical-use face masks were active throughout the lockdown. 3M is one of the most important companies for the procurement of medical materials, adding that the company's continued operation was due to support from the Shanghai city government amid the Omicron outbreak. The company said that it was planning to resume full production.

DuPont told the Global Times that they had asked its employees to work from home during the lockdown period so that the company's business operations would not be impacted, and it supported the government's decision to resume operations. 

Global Times