Business Climate Survey Launch: Central China

AmCham China successfully launched the 2019 China Business Climate Survey Report and the Signing Ceremony of Memorandum of Understanding of Cooperation with Wuhan China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) on April 12, 2019.

Steve Carpenter, the Chairman of Central China Executive Committee, opened the event by thanking AmCham China President Alan Beebe, Jamie Fouss, Consul General from the US Consulate General in Wuhan, and Ren Jian, Vice Chair of CCPIT Wuhan Sub-council for their cooperation and participation in the day’s events.

Beebe provided attendees with a detailed presentation of the China Business Climate Survey Report, highlighting that China retains its importance in the global marketplace, and inspired members to remain optimistic about the investment environment in China in 2019. Beebe urged members to persist through the current business challenges with a long-term and strategic mindset.

Further discussing the business climate in Central China, Steve Carpenter, on behalf of the local Executive Committee, reviewed the on-the-ground evidence supporting the conclusions in the 2019 China Business Climate Survey Report and some overlapping challenges faced by local companies.

These two presentations received great applause from all the attendees and inspired some provocative and insight-driven questions. As such, the Q&A session produced a variety of questions from different perspectives, such as:

How does one evaluate the cultural influence on the bilateral business climate and how cultural influence can contribute to a better business climate?

According to the 2019 China report, there are some concerns about China’s investment market. What factors distinguish China’s business climate from the rising markets in India or Vietnam? Also, how can China retain its competitive advantage in on the global stage?

Do AmCham China Central China chapter members agree with the top five business challenges according the 2019 BCS (Page 9), or would visas and required licenses be a larger problem for Central China investors?

All questions were carefully answered in detail by Alan Beebe, Steve Carpenter, and the US Consul General Jamie Fouss. Even some of the members also joined discussion by sharing their company experiences on facing business challenges.

After the launch event, Carpenter introduced the background behind the MOU and invited Ren Jian, the Vice President of CCPIT, Wuhan Sub-council to sign the MOU of Cooperation with the AmCham China President, US Consulate General, and Marina Chen, the Deputy General Manager of Shui On Tiandi Property Development Co as witnesses.