新闻来源：www.abcnews.go.com
原文地址：US companies see record-low profits in China amid geopolitical tensions, report says
新闻日期：2024-09-12
美国商会上海分会发布的报告称，中国业务利润创新低，一些企业正将投资转向其他地区如越南、马来西亚和南亚等国家。
美国商会上海分会主席郑晓峰表示，企业在华面临的风险有所增加，但市场需求疲软且产能过剩问题依然存在。
报告显示，在华企业中只有约半数预计收入会超过去年水平，而在未来三到五年内，中国GDP增速将低于全球平均水平。
欧洲商会中国分会也发布了一份类似报告，称中国的投资风险正在增加，这可能使一些欧洲公司的利润下降。在新闻发布会上，欧洲商会主席詹斯·埃斯库尔德表示，在华投资面临的风险已超过回报，他呼吁中国政府采取行动以保持市场吸引力。
原文摘要：
American companies in China are seeing record-low profits, with business confidence at an all-time low amid U.S.-China tensions and a slowing Chinese economy, according to a report published Thursday by a U.S. business group.
Out of 306 companies polled, a record-low 66% were profitable in 2023, according to the China business report published by the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai.
The report also found that only 47% of respondents were optimistic about their business outlook in China over the next five years, the lowest in the survey’s history of more than two decades.
Beijing and Washington have been at odds in recent years over issues like trade and manufacturing, as well as China’s claims over the South China Sea.
China is also grappling with a slowing domestic economy, with lackluster consumer demand and deflationary pressures persisting even post-COVID.
The geopolitical tensions between both countries was the top challenge to businesses’ operations in China, the report found.
“It’s a balance between risk and reward,” said Eric Zheng, president of AmCham Shanghai, during a news conference ahead of the report’s publication.
“The perceived risks of doing business in China have gone up in the past few years, but at the same time the market is slowing down, with soft demand and overcapacity,” he said.
Many businesses are now redirecting investments to other regions such as Vietnam, Malaysia and South Asia, Zheng said.
A record high of 25% of companies polled cut investment in China in 2023, AmCham’s report found, largely driven by concerns over China’s slowing growth.
While just over half of U.S. companies expect their revenue to increase over last year, only 37% are expecting growth in China to outpace global growth in the coming three to five years.
The AmCham report came a day after the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China published a report with similar sentiments on the increasing risks of doing business in China. The report highlighted a lack of implementation on promised reforms and an increasingly politicized business environment.
The European Chamber’s report found that for some European companies, the risks of investing in China were beginning to outweigh the returns.
“We are concerned about there being a tipping point now, and therefore we have a call for action to the Chinese government to turn the tide,” said Jens Eskelund, the European Chamber’s president, at a news conference on Wednesday.
“China is becoming no longer a top priority but increasingly a top three or top five destination,” he said. “We believe that the relative attractiveness as a location will continue to deteriorate unless we address some of these concerns.”
The European business group called on China to prioritize economic growth and reform, and to boost investor confidence by leveling the playing field for all companies in the country.
