To read this content please select one of the options below:

Chinese state-owned enterprises go global

Ilan Alon (Cornell Professor of International Business based at International Business Department, Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida, USA)
Hua Wang (China Area Manager based at Department of Strategy, KEDGE Business School, Marseille, France)
Jun Shen (Director based at Executive Training Department, China Executive Leadership Academy Pudong (CELAP), Shanghai, China)
Wenxian Zhang (Head of Archives and Special Collections based at Rollins China Center, Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida, USA)

Journal of Business Strategy

ISSN: 0275-6668

Article publication date: 17 November 2014

3074

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this research is to examine the Chinese outward direct investment (ODI) from the perspectives of the Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs), focusing on their perceptions and important factors in the decision-making process. More specifically, it aims to understand where and why Chinese SOEs are investing. Increasingly integrated into the global economy, China has already become one of the largest investment economies in the world.

Design/methodology/approach

Conducted by the China Center at Rollins College in collaboration with the Kedge Business School and the China Executive Leadership Academy at Pudong, survey data are collected from 63 Chinese SOEs that reflect the structure of Chinese industry and the membership of the China Council for the Promotion of International trade.

Findings

Chinese SOEs have aligned their business expansion plans with the national priority, and played a dominant role in the current internationalization drive. They will likely increase their overseas investment substantially in both short and medium terms; their key business efforts include resource extraction, trading, services and manufacturing. Whereas Chinese ODIs tend to focus on the emerging economies in Asia, Africa and Latin America, more investments begin to take place in various developed countries, and many Chinese SOEs plan to increase their ODI in the USA, regarded as the most important market for overseas investment.

Originality/value

This research contributes to a better understanding on the growing ODIs by the Chinese SOEs since the launch of the “going global” policy.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge the research assistance provided by Jennifer Jokl, Liyang Liu and Aniruddh Fatehpuria of Rollins College.

Citation

Alon, I., Wang, H., Shen, J. and Zhang, W. (2014), "Chinese state-owned enterprises go global", Journal of Business Strategy, Vol. 35 No. 6, pp. 3-18. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBS-12-2013-0118

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Related articles