The Donald Trump era in American diplomacy was marked by increasing anti-Chinese rhetoric. China was identified as the ‘major strategic rival’, and the US administration began making active efforts to contain Chinese technological development and global economic influence. The hostilities of the US-China trade war include tariffs, bans on exports of certain goods and supplies, limits on technological and scientific collaboration, moves against Chinese tech giants such as ZTE and Huawei, and threats of decoupling.

And yet American companies are far from withdrawing from China. Investments are increasing and decoupling proves not only unfeasible, but potentially highly harmful for the US economy. In our interview with Craig Allen we discussed the scale of US economic involvement in China and the impact of the recent hostilities on the business sector. The meeting was hosted by Associate Professor Marcin Jacoby, Department of Asian Studies at SWPS University at SWPS University, and Zbigniew Niesiobędzki, Ph.D., President of the Polish-Chinese Business Council - a partner of the ChinaTalk series.

During the interview we answered questions such as:

How important is the Chinese market to American business?

Has the US decision on decoupling been consulted with US businesses in recent years?

Will American companies be willing to think more seriously about decoupling?

Who is the winner of the tech and trade war between the US and China?

What if in 10-20 years the innovation supremacy in the world will change in China’s favor?

How is the US SME (small and medium-sized enterprises) sector doing in China?

How the most important challenges that US businesses face while doing business in China changed recently?

What is the biggest challenge in establishing a fair US-China trade relationship?

Will China remain the center of global supply chains?

What are the US-China Business Council recommendations to President Biden’s administration regarding China?

About „ChinaTalk” series - ChinaTalk is a series of interviews with leading global experts on China and East Asia, produced jointly by the Polish Chinese Business Council (PCBC) and SWPS University. Interviews are hosted by PCBC President, Mr. Zbigniew Niesiobędzki, and Professor Marcin Jacoby, Head of the Department of Asian Studies at SWPS University.

ChinaTalk brings you the latest knowledge on the economy, social issues, management, and politics of China and East Asia. Our guest interpret the current developments and trends in the Chinese economy, and predict global, regional and bilateral outcomes of political decisions. Chinese relations with the European Union, and Poland in particular, constitute an important context of these discussions. The expert insights provide valuable input for business practitioners, analysts, as well as researchers and students interested in macroeconomics and global trade.

Craig Allen - the 6th President of the US-China Business Council (USCBC), a private, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization representing over 200 American companies doing business with China. He previously served as US Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam (2014–2018), in Washington DC as Deputy Assistant Secretary for China (2012–2014) in the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration (ITA), and as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Asia (2010–2012).

Prof. Marcin Jacoby - Sinologist, translator, expert on socio-political processes in East Asia, particularly China and Republic of Korea. He is also Head of the Department of Asian Studies at SWPS University, where he teaches literature, art, and cultural diplomacy in China and East Asian.

Zbigniew Niesiobędzki, Ph.D. - Economist with a career associated with investment funds. Over the years, he worked for Deloitte, and served as board member and member of supervisory boards of many companies in the telecommunications, construction, and furniture sectors. Currently, he is President of the Polish Chinese Business Council.