在華美企感覺受歡迎度下降 US companies in China feel less welcome

US companies operating in China are being hurt by the country’s economic slowdown — but their biggest concern is “inconsistent regulatory interpretation and unclear laws”, according to results of a survey released yesterday.

週三公佈的一項調查結果顯示，在華經營的美國企業正受到中國經濟放緩的拖累，但他們最大的擔憂是“不一致的監管解釋和法律不清晰”。

More than a third of the 500 companies featured in the American Chamber of Commerce in China’s annual China Business Climate Survey reported flat or negative revenues last year — the highest proportion in the past five years.

中國美國商會(American Chamber of Commerce in China)對500家在華美國企業進行的年度“中國商業環境調查”顯示，超過三分之一的企業去年營收持平或者爲負，這是過去5年來最高的比例。

But despite the decline, it is inconsistent regulatory interpretation and unclear laws that were cited most frequently as the biggest challenge to doing business in China, a concern that has not topped the list before.

儘管營收出現下降，但就在華經營的最大挑戰而言，最頻繁被提及的是不一致的監管解釋和法律不清晰，這方面的擔憂此前從未名列榜首。

The majority — 77 per cent — of those businesses said they felt less welcome in China than they had previously.

大多數（77%）的受訪企業表示，感覺在中國的受歡迎程度比以前有所下降。

Business concerns remained the main reason, said Jim Zimmerman, the chamber’s chairman, but government assertiveness in areas such as criminal justice was also a factor.

中國美國商會會長詹姆斯倠默爾曼(James Zimmerman)表示，經營方面的擔憂仍是主要原因，但中國政府在刑事司法等領域的專斷也是一個因素。

“When people read reports about regulatory investigations or criminal investigations, that’s always a concern,” he said.

他說：“當人們讀到有關監管調查或刑事調查的報道時，總會有這種擔憂。”

Companies fear antiterrorism and national security laws that are being drafted may have “serious implications” on their ability to operate in China, said Lester Ross, a managing partner at law firm WilmerHale and vice-chairman of the chamber.

威凱平和而德律師事務所(WilmerHale)管理合夥人、中國美國商會副會長萊斯特圠斯(Lester Ross)表示，企業擔心中國正在起草的反恐、國家安全等法律可能對他們在華經營的能力造成“嚴重影響”。

Foreign non-governmental organisations have been hit especially hard by a crackdown on civil society activity that China’s government deems illegal, including most recently the arrest of a Swedish human rights activist.

在中國政府打擊在它看來非法的公民社會活動的過程中，外國非政府組織受到了尤爲嚴重的衝擊，包括最近一名瑞典人權活動人士遭到逮捕。

Almost half of companies in the industry or resources sector had negative revenues in 2015. They are the most likely to move their China capacity to markets with better growth potential, a decision that a quarter of member companies took in the past three years.

工業或資源行業幾乎半數受訪企業2015年營收增長爲負。他們是最可能將在中國的產能遷至擁有更大增長潛力市場的企業。四分之一的中國美國商會成員企業過去三年間已做出此類決定。