"Shanghai is really an outstanding city from an economic point of view," said Javier Gimeno, senior vice president of Saint-Gobain, a French multinational specialized in making construction materials. "It is certainly the gateway of China to the world."

Speaking about the pandemic, Gimemo is impressed by President Xi Jinping's optimism and confidence in weathering the unprecedented global public health crisis.

Gimeno was born into a family with a red heritage: Both Gimeno's father and grandfather were Communist Party members in Spain.