US companies operating in China are being hurt by the country’s economic slowdown — but their biggest concern is “inconsistent regulatory interpretation and unclear laws”, according to results of a survey released yesterday.

周三公布的一项调查结果显示，在华经营的美国企业正受到中国经济放缓的拖累，但他们最大的担忧是“不一致的监管解释和法律不清晰”。

More than a third of the 500 companies featured in the American Chamber of Commerce in China’s annual China Business Climate Survey reported flat or negative revenues last year — the highest proportion in the past five years.

中国美国商会(American Chamber of Commerce in China)对500家在华美国企业进行的年度“中国商业环境调查”显示，超过三分之一的企业去年营收持平或者为负，这是过去5年来最高的比例。

But despite the decline, it is inconsistent regulatory interpretation and unclear laws that were cited most frequently as the biggest challenge to doing business in China, a concern that has not topped the list before.

尽管营收出现下降，但就在华经营的最大挑战而言，最频繁被提及的是不一致的监管解释和法律不清晰，这方面的担忧此前从未名列榜首。

The majority — 77 per cent — of those businesses said they felt less welcome in China than they had previously.

大多数（77%）的受访企业表示，感觉在中国的受欢迎程度比以前有所下降。

Business concerns remained the main reason, said Jim Zimmerman, the chamber’s chairman, but government assertiveness in areas such as criminal justice was also a factor.

中国美国商会会长詹姆斯倠默尔曼(James Zimmerman)表示，经营方面的担忧仍是主要原因，但中国政府在刑事司法等领域的专断也是一个因素。

“When people read reports about regulatory investigations or criminal investigations, that’s always a concern,” he said.

他说：“当人们读到有关监管调查或刑事调查的报道时，总会有这种担忧。”

Companies fear antiterrorism and national security laws that are being drafted may have “serious implications” on their ability to operate in China, said Lester Ross, a managing partner at law firm WilmerHale and vice-chairman of the chamber.

威凯平和而德律师事务所(WilmerHale)管理合伙人、中国美国商会副会长莱斯特圠斯(Lester Ross)表示，企业担心中国正在起草的反恐、国家安全等法律可能对他们在华经营的能力造成“严重影响”。

Foreign non-governmental organisations have been hit especially hard by a crackdown on civil society activity that China’s government deems illegal, including most recently the arrest of a Swedish human rights activist.

在中国政府打击在它看来非法的公民社会活动的过程中，外国非政府组织受到了尤为严重的冲击，包括最近一名瑞典人权活动人士遭到逮捕。

Almost half of companies in the industry or resources sector had negative revenues in 2015. They are the most likely to move their China capacity to markets with better growth potential, a decision that a quarter of member companies took in the past three years.

工业或资源行业几乎半数受访企业2015年营收增长为负。他们是最可能将在中国的产能迁至拥有更大增长潜力市场的企业。四分之一的中国美国商会成员企业过去三年间已做出此类决定。