China's Multinationals ─ The Resource Sector

Foreign investment by China’s multinational companies is growing rapidly, with China likely to be the fourth largest global outward investor in the next few years. Interestingly, about half of China’s foreign direct investment is made by firms in the resource sector, that is by firms involved in oil, gas, mining, metal and other resource-based industries. This book examines the foreign direct investment activities of China’s resource sector multinationals and the unfolding impact of these activities. It provides both a comprehensive overview of activities, including mergers and acquisitions, and also provides detailed case studies of the activities of particular Chinese firms in particular countries and specific sectors. It argues that the motivations and competencies of Chinese multinationals are often different from what is regarded as normal behaviour by multinationals, in that Chinese firms often do not have the ownership, organisational and technological advantages usually associated with successful multinationals, but they do have government support, including in the areas of finance and international diplomacy, and they often also have significant host government support, in that much of China’s firms’ investment is in developing countries where Chinese involvement is especially welcomed. The book concludes by assessing the likely impact of Chinese foreign investment in resources on China, host countries, the security and supply of energy and other resources, and on the global economy generally.

Huaichuan Rui is Lecturer in International Business, at Brunel Business School, Brunel University West London, UK. She is the author of Globalization, transition and development in China (Routledge, 2005), and Political Economy of China, 1996, with Wang, J. H. (China Commerce Press, Beijing).