Is China making life difficult for foreign companies?
Once, China welcomed them with open arms, but now overseas firms are complaining about the country’s increasingly hostile business environment as concerns rise over protectionism, forced technology transfers and tightening censorship
Is China becoming unfriendly to foreign companies? That’s the concern of some foreign firms – a group once relied upon by China to attract capital and technology to bolster its growth.
“Challenging”, “hesitant” and “doubtful” are the kind of words European and American companies in China are using to describe their environment.
Concerns over the business climate are mounting, and range from rising protectionism and slow progress in market access to forced technology transfers and tightening internet censorship.
All these come at the time when China – with rising economic influence and seeking a bigger voice in the global political and economic issues – is steering growth towards a heavier reliance on internal consumption rather than exports.
For foreign companies in China, right now is perhaps the most distressing and unhappy time that I have seen
Some experts sense a subtle change in the world’s second-largest economy – that it is no longer as passionate about pursuing foreign capital.