Overseas Investment of Chinese Enterprises: Discovery and discussion based on site research

In this study, we administered surveys to 47 Chinese enterprises in six industries related to their overseas investments and operations. The results indicate that a number of them have established overseas networks, expanded markets, and upgraded their technological capabilities through internationalization. Although respondents from all sampled enterprises expressed an intention to increase investments abroad in a general sense, some indicated a specific intention to do so on the basis of new manufacturing capacities. Most of the surveyed enterprises' intentions to invest abroad are due to their desire to gain technological capabilities. Firms in the energy and material industries also expressed a desire to gain access to resources. In terms of the extent to which the surveyed enterprises had an international presence, most were in the preliminary stages of their transnational operations, with a few having progressed to the point of currently engaging in preliminary internationalization and globalization. Survey results also demonstrate multiple ways in which these enterprises develop overseas, but show that they all share an emphasis on improving the degree of competitiveness and promoting transnational operations and development through increased integration of the global value chain. In addition to the survey, we also developed an analytic model to explore the relationship between the overseas operations' income and strength, overseas development strategies, and the overseas experiences of Chinese enterprises. Through this model, a positive correlation between the overseas operations' income and the three outcome variables is revealed. Accordingly, we believe that as the Chinese enterprises strengthen, overseas investment among them will continue to rise.