設在中國的美國公司正在押注當地消費者，即使因冠狀病毒造成業務中斷拖累收入。
3月13日至18日，中國美國商會對119家企業進行了調查，發現，表示收入大幅下降的受訪者比例從上月的28%上升到50%。
中國美國商會會長畢萬倫週三上午在接受記者電話採訪時說："我們在此次調查中看到，消費行業受到的打擊尤為嚴重，是收入中斷最大的行業之一。"
"另一方面，對於這一行業及其技術的投資計劃實際上並沒有改變，"他說。"我解釋的方式是，雖然他們短期受到打擊，但前景展望並沒有根本變化。"
當冠狀病毒首次在中國爆發時，企業最關心的是全球供應鏈和世界第二大經濟體的增長是否中斷。現在海外疫情的加速使人們轉而擔憂全球增長，儘管中國及其數億消費者重返工作崗位。
該商會去年年底的年度商業環境調查顯示，鑑於中國龐大且不斷增長的中產階級，消費行業是2020年中國市場機會較為樂觀的行業之一。
在上週對會員的閃電調查中，由於冠狀病毒的影響，消費者以及資源和工業行業對今年市場增長最為悲觀，這兩個行業的38%企業預計降幅至少為50%。
但調查發現，消費行業中，表示將維持先前計劃投資的企業比例最高，為46%，而8%的企業表示將增加計劃投資。
服務業是唯一報告企業計劃增加投資的行業，也達到8%，而技術行業在保持投資的企業中所佔比例位居第二——為43%。
中國商務部的數據顯示，2月份外商對華直接投資驟降25.6%，今年前兩個月累計達1344億元人民幣（合192億美元），同比下降8.6%。
就美國商會整體而言，在最新的調查中，40%表示將維持先前計劃的投資水平，高於上個月的23%。3月份的調查發現，只有2%的受訪者表示，他們會考慮在未來三到五年內退出中國市場。
畢萬倫說："這表明中國企業最終將恢復正常，顯示出耐心和信心，不會導致長期戰略出現任何突然變化。"
調查發現，略多於五分之一的受訪者已重返工作崗位，13%的受訪者預計本月底前恢復正常運營，23%的受訪者預計4月底恢復正常運營。
US companies are still betting on Chinese consumers, despite coronavirus impact
American companies in China are still betting on the local consumer, even if business disruptions from the coronavirus are dragging down revenues.
A survey of 119 companies from March 13 to 18 by the Beijing-based American Chamber of Commerce in China found that the proportion of respondents saying they are experiencing significant revenue declines increased to 50% — that’s up from 28% last month.
“The consumer sector as we see in this survey has been particularly hard hit,” Alan Beebe, AmCham China president, said on a call with reporters Wednesday morning. ”(It’s) the sector that had one of the largest revenue disruptions.”
“On the other hand, it’s the sector, along with technology, where investment plans really haven’t changed,” he said. “The way I interpret that is, while they’re taking a hit short term, there’s no fundamental change in outlook.”
When the coronavirus first broke out in China, businesses were most concerned about disruptions to global supply chains and growth in the world’s second-largest economy. The acceleration of the outbreak overseas has shifted worries to global growth, even as China and its hundreds of millions of consumers get back to work.
The chamber’s annual business conditions survey late last year found the consumer sector was one of the industries more optimistic about their market opportunity in China for 2020, given the country’s large and growing middle class.
In last week’s flash survey of members, the consumer, as well as resources and industrial industries, were the most pessimistic about the virus’ impact on market growth this year, with 38% of firms in both industries expecting a decrease of at least 50%.
But the consumer sector had the highest proportion of businesses saying they would maintain previously planned investments — at 46%, while 8% said they would increase planned investments, the survey found.
The services sector was the only other industry to report businesses planning to increase investments, also at 8%, while the technology industry had the second-highest proportion of businesses maintaining investments — at 43%.
Foreign direct investment in China plunged 25.6% in February, bringing the total for the first two months of the year to 134.4 billion yuan ($19.2 billion), a decline of 8.6% year-over-year in yuan terms, according to China’s Ministry of Commerce.
For AmCham members overall, 40% said in the latest survey they would maintain previously planned levels of investment, up from 23% last month. Only 2% said they would consider exiting the Chinese market in the next three to five years, the March survey found.
“This indicates both patience and confidence that eventually business will return back to normal in China and this wouldn’t lead to any abrupt changes in long term strategy,” Beebe said.
Slightly more than a fifth of respondents are already back at work, with 13% expecting to resume normal operations by the end of this month, and 23% by the end of April, the survey found.
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