China’s economic slowdown is a far greater source of anxiety for European companies than the fallout from Donald Trump’s trade war, warns a leading business association representing EU firms in the world’s second-largest economy. “The number one issue for our members is the Chinese economy itself,” said Dunnett, pointing to a chamber survey showing 71% of businesses see Beijing’s slowdown as their biggest challenge. Underscoring these structural problems, China’s economy is expected to grow by just 4% this year, according to the International Monetary Fund’s latest forecast. A growing economy once made China’s long-standing regulatory hurdles and “complicated” rules manageable, but they have now become far more “painful,” Dunnett added. The Chinese economy would be my first one.