Chinese Overseas Investment: Global Competition and Other Factors Are Fueling the Next Wave

The ranks of Chinese companies seeking cross-border M&A deals are due to swell, according to Kang Rongping, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and director of the World Chinese Companies Research Center.

The reasons are many, he says, but companies that decide to go global are looking to sharpen their competitive advantage in a world where “being a multinational is no longer a choice.” What are the challenges of managing cross-border mergers and acquisitions in the present environment? And how has the nature of competition in the domestic market helped to drive this trend? Kang, who closely follows Chinese overseas investment, shared his thoughts in an interview with China Knowledge at Wharton.