Chinese New Year 2021: the year of the Ox

The influence of Covid-19 on Chinese New Year 2021.

What exactly is Chinese New Year (CNY)?

CNY is the traditional Chinese spring festival that ushers in the new year. It is one of the most important traditional festivals both in China itself and in large parts of Asia. For example, CNY is also celebrated in countries such as Vietnam, Taiwan and Japan. Not only does CNY fall on a different period than New Year in the Western world, the festivities also lasts much longer.

When does CNY take place?

In 2021, CNY starts on Friday 21 February and it lasts until Friday 26 February. According to the Chinese calendar, the year 2021 is the year of the Ox. It is very common for many Chinese to take a few days off before and after CNY.

What does CNY mean for your activities in China?

Since al the festivities around CNY are family orientated, most economical activities in China stand still during this period. For many Chinese, it is the only time of the year when they can see their family. For economic reasons most of the Chinese work and live in the enormous cities, but at this time of year they are visiting their families in the countryside. Many Chinese companies, factories and government institutions are therefore closed for a long time during this period.

CNY and Covid-19

Due to Covid-19 CNY will be different from previous years. It is not entirely clear what kind of restrictive measures the Chinese government will take. What we do know by now:

• The official holidays are from Thursday 11 February to Wednesday 17 February. The DSV offices in China are closed on those days.
• Employees of the Chinese customs authorities and logistics sector must be vaccinated against COVID-19 before CNY.
• Chinese factories will be closed one to two weeks before CNY.

Our advice

CNY combined with current market developments is causing a major shortage of logistics capacity from Asia. We advise our customers to encourage their suppliers in Asia to place their freight bookings with local DSV offices as soon as possible. This gives DSV the option to pre-book space with our carriers, helping us avoid delays. We also recommend that you build in extra time in your logistics planning, on top of your regular supply chain planning. And above all, stay in contact with your Chinese suppliers.

For any questions on CNY please contact your regular commercial contact persons within DSV Air & Sea.