US firms in China return focus to local rivals as bilateral ties mend - South China Morning Post
Frank Chenin ShanghaiPublished: 6:02pm, 28 Sep 2026Stabilising ties between the world’s two largest economies, fortified by US President Donald Trump’s hosting of his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Washington last week, have soothed the nerves of American businesses in China, which no longer see frayed bilateral ties as their primary challenge, according to prominent business chambers.
“For enterprises, the stability of trade policies and export control measures will help reduce uncertainty,” said Eric Zheng, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, adding that fallout from the Sino-US relationship had dropped from the “first challenge” faced by member companies to the “second major challenge”.
Local competition was now the primary issue facing US enterprises in China, Zheng told Chinese state media over the weekend.
After several months of engagement between Xi and Trump, the share of surveyed members citing US-China tensions as a top challenge fell 13 points to 53 per cent, according to the chamber’s latest China Business Report published earlier this month.
