美国商会3月8日发布的一项调查显示，由于中美关系紧张、防疫限制措施持续不断、监管限制和经济放缓，美国企业对在中国经营的看法更加悲观。

根据美国商会的报告，会员公司对中国市场增长的乐观看法比去年下降了11个百分点。该报告基于300多家会员公司的答覆编写。

企业报告说，美国和中国之间日益紧张的关系是最大的商业挑战，其次是法律规定不一致或不明确。

中国美国商会总裁毕艾伦(Alan Beebe)在一次媒体会议上说，拜登于2020年当选后，在华美国公司中出现了短暂的乐观情绪“高峰”。

“但我们在去年看到，新的现实已经形成，拜登政府仍保留着特朗普政府执政期间的政策和情绪，”毕艾伦补充说。

企业也报告了在雇用外国和本地人才方面都出现困难。

中国严格的防疫规定使得海外雇员很难开始在中国工作。

政治因素也阻碍了国内招聘。

“许多中国人才宁愿不为美国公司工作。由于中美双边关系紧张，‘美国品牌’已经开始失去价值，”一位不愿透露姓名的调查对象写道。

事实证明，经济增长放缓对中国政府以及在华美企都是一大挑战。

根据周二发布的调查，59%受访者预计2021年获利将高于2020年，但此一数字仍低于疫情前的水平。

尽管预测黯淡、挑战重重，但调查显示，大多数公司计划留下来，其中三分之二企业计划在2022年增加在华投资。

 

U.S. businesses in China gloomier due to bilateral tensions, COVID curbs

U.S.-based businesses reported more pessimism about operating in China due to bilateral tensions, ongoing COVID-19 curbs, regulatory restrictions and a slowing economy, a survey from the American Chamber of Commerce showed on March 8.

Optimism toward domestic market growth dropped 11 percentage points from the previous year, according to the Chamber's report, based on responses from more than 300 member companies.

Businesses reported rising tensions between the U.S. and China as the top business challenge, followed by inconsistent or unclear laws.

Alan Beebe, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, said in a media session there was a brief "bump" optimism among companies in China, following Biden's election in 2020.

"But what we’ve seen in the course of last year is that there is a new reality that has set in, where the policies and sentiment of the Trump administration remain in place with the Biden administration," Beebe added.

Companies also reported difficulties in hiring both foreign and local talent.

Strict COVID-19 protocols in China make it difficult for overseas hires to begin working in China.

Politics have also impeded domestic hiring.

"Many Chinese talents would rather not work for an American firm. The ‘Brand America’ has started losing value because of the tensions in the [bilateral] relationship," one unnamed survey respondent wrote."

Slowing economic growth has also proven a challenge both for Beijing and U.S. companies in China.

According to the survey released on Tuesday, 59% of respondents anticipate 2021 profits will be up from 2020. But that figure remains lower than pre-COVID levels.

Despite the dour forecast and challenges, the survey revealed that most companies planned to stay, with two-thirds of them planning to increase investment in China in 2022.