It seems that the Chinese authorities do not intend to freeze the issuance of licenses for publishing games from American companies in the country in response to the tariff increase in the US. However, sales of such games in China could still suffer due to a boycott by Chinese citizens offended by the trade war.
Black Myth: Wukong
The Chinese regulator issued a corresponding warning.
"The erroneous actions of the U.S. government in abusing tariffs against China have seriously hurt the feelings of the Chinese people. They will inevitably diminish the favor of the Chinese market towards American games and influence the decisions of Chinese companies about their publication," the statement from China's National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) said.
The NPPA added that it will respect the stance of Chinese players and publishers in such matters, but no restrictions have been announced. The regulator hopes that the U.S. will consider the sentiments in China and 'return to the correct path of mutually beneficial cooperation.'"
It is worth noting that last year the NPPA issued 1,416 licenses to various gaming companies, but only 110 of those went to non-Chinese developers.
In a conversation with The Game Business, Lisa Hanson, the head of the analytical company Niko Partners, reported that calls for boycotting U.S. goods, including games, can indeed be found on Chinese social networks. She does not rule out that following Chinese citizens, residents of Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, and other countries might start boycotting American games. Hanson also suggests that if necessary, the Chinese authorities could not only stop issuing licenses but also block the global version of Steam in China—currently, it does not officially operate in the country, but access is quite possible.
Recall that in mid-April, the U.S. increased tariffs on Chinese goods to 145%. In response, China raised its tariffs on American goods to 125%.