USCBC’s 2018 member survey report, released on Tuesday, indicates that despite positive commercial gains in the last year, American companies have strong concerns about the increasingly rocky US-China relationship and implications for the business environment in China. American companies are less optimistic about China's policy direction and the trajectory of the bilateral relationship.

As summer draws to a close, I would like to highlight a few trends USCBC’s China offices are observing based on their conversations with our membership, Chinese media, government sources, and other key influencers.

Tariff Impact

The US-China trade conflict has once again escalated, with both sides preparing to implement tariffs on billions in goods next week. Monday evening, President Donald Trump announced his decision to impose an additional 10 percent tariff on $200 billion of Chinese imports and finalized the list of goods subject to the new tariffs, effective September 24.

On September 7, the 13th National People’s Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC), China’s constitutional authority, released its five-year legislative plan, outlining and prioritizing major legislative tasks into three classes that, in principle, are listed in descending priority; however, items are not passed or deliberated in sequence.

Since the March announcement that China would restructure its government to make it “better-structured, more efficient, and service-oriented,” regulators have worked to formulate and release their “three determinations” plans. By clarifying the functions, structure, and staffing of reorganized government agencies, the plans shed light on how these ministries will function and how companies should begin interacting with them.