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## Overview A flash survey by the US-China Business Council (USCBC), conducted in July, found that the Trump administration's export-control licensing regime is achieving little strategic benefit while imposing significant costs on American companies (SCMP, citing USCBC survey). The findings add to a growing body of business-community pushback against the scope and administration of US export controls targeting China. ## Key Findings - "Months-long licensing delays are costing the United States billions of dollars in exports and eroding American market share globally," according to USCBC (SCMP). - The survey concludes the controls are "achieving no strategic gain" while hurting American firms, per the report (SCMP). ## Context This survey lands amid an ongoing debate over the balance between national-security objectives and economic costs in the US-China technology and trade relationship. It follows a string of high-profile decoupling actions — including Meta's unwinding of its Manus AI acquisition after a Beijing block — and comes as both governments continue to weaponize licensing and export regimes in strategic sectors like semiconductors, AI, and advanced materials. ## Why It Matters For businesses and legal practitioners navigating export control compliance, this survey provides ammunition for lobbying efforts seeking reform of the licensing process. It also signals potential friction points ahead of trade negotiations, including any prospective Trump-Xi summit discussions, where export control policy could be a bargaining chip. ## Watch For - Whether the Trump administration responds with reforms to licensing timelines. - Additional industry surveys or lobbying campaigns citing economic harm from export controls. - Correlation with other stories of "strategic gain" disputes, such as China's claims about superconducting magnet technology parity with the US.