Research & Analysis

Strategic preparation and cultural awareness can sharpen the competitive edge for companies negotiating in China.by Betsy NeidelThe global economic slowdown and debt crises in the Western hemisphere have spurred many corporations to look east for new business opportunities. For newcomers to the China market, as well as for those with established business relationships, China’s expanding […]

As the PRC government renews its unionization campaign, companies must prepare to respond to greater labor pressures.by K. Lesli Ligorner and Todd Shengqiang LiaoAll is no longer quiet on the unionization front. After putting its unionization drive on hold in 2008 because of the financial crisis, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU), China’s only […]

The PRC government has ramped up incentives to develop central and western China—will foreign companies bite?by Nancy Huang, Joie Ma, and Kyle SullivanChina launched two strategies to develop its central and western regions in the last decade. The PRC State Council launched the Western Development Strategy, China’s first comprehensive regional development plan to boost the […]

As living standards and the business environment improve, US companies may be able to export more goods and services to China’s second-tier markets.by Richard Craig and Jacqueline QiangChina’s expanding economy is rich with business opportunities for US firms, many of which are small and medium-sized enterprises. In 2008 and 2009, the United States exported more […]

Rising disposable income levels across China’s second- and third-tier cities mean more opportunities for purveyors of branded goods.by Francis Bassolino and Matthew SmithFirst-tier or second-tier city? Many foreign analysts and strategists fall into the standard practice of categorizing cities in China to determine which markets to enter or how to expand beyond the traditional entry […]

Consumer goods companies must adapt their sales, marketing, and distribution plans to reach rapidly expanding markets in smaller cities.by James A. C. SinclairDemand for consumer goods in hundreds of cities across China is increasing. While Chinese companies in smaller cities look to expand into larger cities, their international counterparts are trying to do just the […]

The US-China Business Council (USCBC) and the National Committee on US-China Relations (NCUSCR) hosted a reception and dinner at the Waldorf=Astoria Hotel in New York City in honor of PRC Premier Wen Jiabao on September 22. More than 400 government and business leaders attended the event. USCBC Chair and Coca-Cola Co. Chairman and CEO Muhtar […]

by Julie WaltonMost US companies that invest in China do so to serve the country’s diverse customers, rather than to manufacture and export back to the United States, the US-China Business Council’s (USCBC) 2010 membership survey results show (see US Companies Report Views of China’s Business Environment). The survey results also suggest that, from a […]

by John FrisbieA columnist at the Washington Post in late September called the US-China Business Council (USCBC), an organization of roughly 220 US companies that employ more than 7 million Americans, “un-American” for opposing, in USCBC’s opinion, counterproductive tariff legislation aimed at addressing China’s undervalued currency. During a September 29 House of Representatives debate, several […]

by Nina PalmerThe PRC government has expanded the use of the renminbi (RMB) for cross-border trade settlement, presenting new opportunities for financing trade in China and cost savings for those who buy from or sell to participating Chinese enterprises. The State Council and the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) recently issued regulations to expand the […]