US firms display new confidence in China

Improved financial performance and easing China-US tensions have lifted confidence among United States businesses in China to its highest level after 2021, according to a survey report released on Thursday, signaling a brighter corporate outlook as bilateral trade relations stabilize.

The share of respondents who are optimistic about their five-year business outlook in China rose by 17 percentage points to 58 percent, reversing a four-year decline that had pushed the reading to successive record lows, according to the 2026 China Business Report, released by the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai.

In contrast, 16 percent of respondents are pessimistic about their five-year business outlook in China, the lowest level since 2021, said the report.