Historic and Emergent Trends in Chinese Outward Direct Investment

Recent expansion of Chinese outward direct investment is analysed at two levels: at the aggregate level using Chinese Ministry of Commerce data and at the level of the individual FDI project using data compiled by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange. Project level analysis reveals wholly-owned projects are increasingly displacing joint ventures as the predominant mode of entry. Changes to the investment motivations are discernable in market-seeking FDI: with defensive and offensive FDI increasingly supplanting trade-related investment activity, and in strategic asset-seeking FDI: with improved access to foreign-owned technologies, brands, and distribution channels gaining importance.