The number of European companies compelled to hand over valuable technologies in exchange for market access in China has doubled over the past two years, as Beijing and Washington clash over the contentious issue.
The latest business confidence survey by the European Chamber of Commerce, published yesterday, showed the problem has intensified even as negotiations between the US and China deepened earlier this year as part of a widening trade war between the two nations.
About 20 per cent of respondents to the survey said they felt compelled to hand over technology to Chinese business partners, up from 10 per cent two years ago. The survey comprised responses from 585 European groups.