Just 41 percent of US firms optimistic about the five-year business outlook in China, chamber of commerce says.Published On 10 Sep 202510 Sep 2025US businesses in China are less optimistic about conditions in the country than at any point in the last quarter-century, a survey has revealed.Just 41 percent of US businesses are optimistic about the five-year business outlook in China, according to the survey released on Wednesday by the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listThe figure, down from 47 percent in 2024, is the lowest since AmCham Shanghai began releasing its annual business report in 1999.Only 45 percent of respondents said they expected revenues to increase in 2025, AmCham Shanghai said, which would be a record low if realised.Just 12 percent ranked China as their headquarters’ top investment destination, also the lowest in the survey’s history, according to the business chamber.Businesses cited US-China tensions and broader geopolitical pressures as the biggest challenges to operating.Nearly half of respondents called for the removal of all US tariffs on Chinese goods, with 42 percent supporting the scrapping of Chinese tariffs on US products, according to AmCham Shanghai.Despite the worsening sentiment, businesses also reported positive developments over the past year.More than 70 percent of respondents said they were profitable in 2024, up from a record low of 66 percent in 2023.And nearly half of respondents said the regulatory environment in China was transparent, a 13-percentage point jump from the previous year.“Government efforts to improve the regulatory environment have been noticed by members, but they are overshado …
