A recent survey by a Chinese business group in the United States shows that Chinese companies are still interested in doing business in the United States, even if things are difficult. Most of the companies surveyed (nearly 60%) want to continue investing the same amount of money in the United States, and some (30%) even want to invest more.
The survey also found that many Chinese companies are concerned about the U.S.-China relationship and the overall health of the U.S. economy. More than 60 percent of respondents said the business environment in the U.S. is getting worse. There is also much more concern (93 percent compared to 81 percent last year) that the U.S. and China will not be able to work well together.
The US government has been making it harder for Chinese companies to do business in the US lately. They have monitored some Chinese industries more closely, imposing sanctions on some Chinese companies and products and even trying to prevent Chinese companies from buying some US companies.
The survey found that the biggest challenges for Chinese companies in the United States are confusion over U.S. rules and sanctions and the negative feelings many Americans have toward China. Over 65% of respondents believe that US rules and sanctions are the biggest problem, while 59% believe that negative feelings are the second biggest problem.
The survey also showed that many Chinese companies are earning less than before. In fact, there was a “significant decline in performance” last year, similar to what happened in 2020 during the pandemic. In 2023, more companies reported revenue declines than in 2022, with a larger decline for some companies.
The head of the Chinese business group said that both Chinese and US companies need to work together to reduce trade tensions and political problems. He said that trade and investment have always been important to both the US and China, and that China is still a very important trading partner for the US.