Sentiment Survey

British Chamber of Commerce British Business in China: Sentiment Survey 2020-2021

8 Dec 2020

Find out how British businesses in China coped with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The British Chambers of Commerce in China are delighted to launch the British Business in China: Sentiment Survey 2020-2021.

Over 250 businesses across China told us about how well they have fared during the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact UK-China relations have had on them, what challenges they will be have to navigate in 2021, and more.



Key takeaways

The Sentiment Survey presented the following observations:

  • COVID-19 has had a noticeable effect on business sentiment, but 44% will nonetheless be increasing investment in 2021
  • SMEs are recovering more slowly than large multinational companies, and their hiring strategies are notably more modest than they were in 2019.
  • Three in five businesses express concern around the current state of the UK-China relationship and its impact on their operations.
  • Difficulties navigating cybersecurity and IT restrictions remains the top regulatory challenge for the third year running.
  • Despite the challenges, China remains among their top priority markets for the majority of companies and only 3% are actively relocating supply chains out of China.

The findings capture the mood, perspectives and critical challenges for British companies on the ground in China, and will play a key role in informing our advocacy work moving forward into 2021.

We hope that you will find it an informative and engaging read. You can download the full report below.

Platinum members

Join us

BritCham Shanghai is an organisation proudly run by its members — for its members. Whether your business is based in China or overseas, we welcome you to be part of our community. Let's connect, and become a member today.