Experts examine business landscape in US at forum

Detailed summary

Organized by UC Irvine's Long US-China Institute and the China General Chamber of Commerce-Los Angeles, the forum titled, "Chinese Companies in America: Law, Business, and…

Chinese companies operating in the United States face continued regulatory uncertainty and growing compliance challenges, although opportunities remain for investment and commercial cooperation, legal, banking and academic experts said at a forum in Southern California.

The discussion held on Nov 4 at the University of California, Irvine, came a day after the midterm elections and examined whether changes in Washington's political landscape could affect the business environment for Chinese companies.

"I do expect it to change for Chinese companies," said Alex Hao, a partner at international law firm JunHe LLP, expressing optimism that changes in the US political landscape following the midterm elections could create a more diverse environment for foreign businesses operating in the country.

Organized by UC Irvine's Long US-China Institute and the China General Chamber of Commerce-Los Angeles, the forum titled, "Chinese Companies in America: Law, Business, and Geopolitical Risk", brought together specialists in international law, commercial banking and political science.

Li Ji, the John S. and Marilyn Long professor of US-China Business and Law at UC Irvine, offered a more cautious assessment.

Li said US policy toward China has become a bipartisan issue, while many regulatory decisions are implemented by government agencies whose personnel and practices do not necessarily change following elections.

Li said that Chinese companies would continue to interact with regulators under existing institutional arrangements.

Susan Yang, managing director of international and commercial banking at East West Bank, expressed hope that trade tensions could stabilize, allowing companies to plan their operations with greater predictability.

She identified political uncertainty, risk management and access to experienced banking partners as three major concerns for Chinese companies operating in the US market.

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