US Chamber of Commerce predicts Sino-American trade conflict

China’s protectionist policies may spark commercial and political tensions with the US, the US Chamber of Commerce claims. In a report to issued later this week, the chamber says that Beijing’s "indigenous innovation industrial policies are headed toward triggering contentious trade disputes and inflamed political rhetoric on both sides," and that these policies are "forcing foreign technology companies to anguish over balancing today’s profits with tomorrow’s survival," the Wall Street Journal reported. The complaints echo public criticism of Chinese regulations by US and European executives in recent weeks. They have said that China sometimes seeks to bolster domestic firms by forcing their foreign partners to share technology, but then restrict promised market access for the multinationals. The report specifically points to the aerospace industry as cause for concern, a particularly topical subject following a slew of recent partnerships between Western and Chinese manufacturers.