Craig Allen is president of the U.S.-China Business Council, a non-profit organization with 260 member companies that aims to help expand the commercial relationship between the two countries. Prior to taking on the role in 2018 Craig served in various diplomatic roles including three postings in Beijing and stints in Taipei, Tokyo and South Africa. He was U.S. ambassador to Brunei from December 2014. The following is a lightly edited transcript of a recent interview.
Craig Allen.Illustration by Lauren Crow
Q: Can you start by setting out the level of confidence your members have in their businesses in China right now?
A: We conduct annual surveys, and the latest data that we have was collected about a year ago. It shows that 95 percent of our businesses are profitable, and 43 percent are increasing their investments in China; 6 percent are reducing their commitments, while the remaining 50 percent-ish are maintaining current levels. So more than two-thirds of our
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