January  7, 2026

For someone who’s witnessed the ups and downs of U.S.-China tensions since the 1990s, James Zimmerman is unexpectedly hopeful about 2026.

This year, he’s back for a fifth term as chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, whose members include Boeing and Cargill. His first stint came in 2007 and 2008, when Beijing hosted its first Olympic Games, and the financial crisis hit much of the world. He later served again in 2015 and 2016, as populist movements rose globally and gave Donald Trump his first term as U.S. President.

Fast forward a decade, and U.S. businesses have endured everything from the pandemic to escalating tariffs. But the past decade of what Zimmerman calls “experimenting with competition” could now give way to something new, with Trump expected to visit China in April.

Read more:

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/07/cnbcs-the-china-connection-newsletter-turning-point-for-us-china-ties-in-2026.html