November 30, -0001
China’s outward investment healthy, puzzling

by Derek Scissors

In its 10-year history, the China Global Investment Tracker has solved mysteries regarding what Chinese companies are actually doing in transportation and mining, Latin America and the Middle East, and so on. Now it is contributing to a mystery. The tracker shows spending growing only slightly over 2013, while the Chinese Ministry of Commerce reported a double-digit expansion through November. The divergence appeared suddenly and sharply over the summer.

Despite the absence of aggregate growth, the China Global Investment Tracker (CGIT) still shows 2014 to be a robust year. Major deals were made in no less than 40 countries, and investment spending was especially strong in real estate and metals. The numbers were healthy despite reduced activity from state-owned oil companies, whose absence allowed private firms such as Fosun to step to the fore.

The United States extended its lead as the largest recipient country, with Chinese investment in America setting a record for the third year in a row. Europe also saw heavy spending, as Chinese firms maintained a preference for investing in developed markets. As is typically the case, there were more large on-site engineering and construction contracts than investments in 2014, with transportation the leading sector. Nigeria, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia saw the most engineering and construction activity.

The United States extended its lead as the largest recipient country, with Chinese investment in America setting a record for the third year in a row. Europe also saw heavy spending, as Chinese firms maintained a preference for investing in developed markets. As is typically the case, there were more large on-site engineering and construction contracts than investments in 2014, with transportation the leading sector. Nigeria, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia saw the most engineering and construction activity.

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