U.S. companies continued to see strong growth and bulging profits in China in 2011, the U.S.-China Business Council, a leading bilateral business organization, said on October 10. The council is a private, nonpartisan and nonprofit organization of roughly 240 U.S. companies that do business in China.

"Two thirds of companies surveyed said revenue from their businesses in China grew by 10 percent or more in 2011. Seventy-five percent said profit margins from their China operations were the same as or better than their company's global margins," said John Frisbie, president of the council at the release of the 2012 China Business Environment Survey.

Nearly three quarters of respondents in the survey indicated that they expected their revenues in 2012 to increase.

"Despite market growth, company optimism is tempered by rising costs, domestic competition, and continuing regulatory and market access barriers," Frisbie added.

The council estimated China is a $250 billion market for American companies.