When U.S. President Donald Trump meets Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the G-20 economic summit in Japan, hopes aren’t all that high that they will conclude with a comprehensive trade deal.Nonetheless, most U.S. business leaders and investors are optimistic that the two countries will eventually reach a trade agreement – and when they do, it will pry open Chinese markets and create a wealth of opportunities for U.S. companies.Specifically, American negotiators are pushing for a deal that could end forced technology transfers, improve intellectual property protection and widen access to China’s markets – all with the ultimate goal of creating a “level playing field” for U.S. businesses.Yet as beneficial as resolving intellectual property and technology transfer issues with China may be – not to mention ending the trade war – this is not the biggest reason American companies have failed to do business in China. Rather, as our forthcoming research shows, their biggest failure stems from their inability to penetrate the country’s complex business ecosystems.Changes to intellectual property regulations and tariff provisions will not magically fix this.Doing business in ChinaSince the 1970s, foreign companies, including U.S. businesses, have poured trillions of dollars into China to build global supply chains and access their markets.