China & World Economy / 1–24, Vol. 27, No. 3, 2019
Forty Years Development of China’s Outward Foreign Direct Investment: Retrospect and the Challenges Ahead
Bijun Wang, Kailin Gao*
Abstract
Outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) has increasingly become an important method for China to integrate into the world economy. This paper comprehensively reviews and analyzes policy development and the changing pattern of China’s OFDI over the past 40 years. We divide the development into “restricted” (1978–1999), “relaxed” (2000–2016) and “regulated” (2017 onwards) stages. This paper also reviews literature on the impact of Chinese OFDI on China and host countries. Despite its generally positive effects, large-scale and unbalanced OFDI activities have alarmed Chinese policymakers. Both developing and developed host countries have expressed their concern over national security and the misbehavior of some Chinese overseas enterprises. Therefore, greater supervision and adjustment from quantity to quality growth is necessary for the future development of China’s OFDI.
Key words: China, foreign exchange reserve, going out strategy, outward foreign direct investment, reform and opening-up policy
JEL codes: E220, F210, F230