More American Firms in China Returning to Business as Usual: Survey

What’s new: Some 42% of U.S. businesses in China had returned to normal operation by mid-April, up from 22% a month earlier, according to a new survey by the American Chamber of Commerce in China.

But 67% of the 144 survey respondents said they expect their industry’s growth to stall this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, up from 58% last month.

Background: Foreign businesses have been hit hard by the Covid-19 outbreak much the way domestic companies have. But they have also faced some more specific challenges due to their overseas roots.

Some 44% of respondents said they are facing challenges from government policies that have recently prevented their foreign staff from returning from abroad. And 77% of respondents said they are experiencing global travel disruptions, up from 45% last month, as the number of flights has been sharply curbed worldwide due to lack of demand and various travel restrictions.

Quick Takes are condensed versions of China-related stories for fast news you can use. To read the full Caixin article in Chinese, click here.

Contact reporter Yang Ge (geyang@caixin.com; twitter: @youngchinabiz)