WILMINGTON: Starbucks Corp has closed more than half of its coffee shops in mainland China - about 2,000 of them - and Toyota Motor Corp is halting production in the country as global corporations grapple with a SARS-like coronavirus that has killed more than 130 people and is threatening a key growth market.
Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus that has infected almost 6,000, is a manufacturing, shipping and business hub. Apple Inc is working with its suppliers in the city to mitigate any production loss, but the impact outside of the region is less clear, chief executive officer Tim Cook said on Tuesday.