China's Expanding Role in Global Mergers and Acquisitions Markets

This report evaluates recent and proposed Chinese foreign investment. It aims to improve understanding of China's foreign investment patterns and strategy and considers how U.S. national security might be compromised as well as how the United States and China can benefit from such investment. It provides a method for assessing national security risks and benefits, compares Chinese investment patterns in the United States with those of other U.S. investors, compares Chinese investment patterns in the United States with Chinese investment patterns elsewhere, and draws conclusions from its findings. The authors show that these patterns are distinctive, selective, and flexible. They conclude that both risks and benefits are important to assess in evaluating the effects of increased Chinese investment. They urge analysts to track Chinese investments through a "wider lens," comparing patterns of investment in the United States with patterns elsewhere to gain a greater understanding of Chinese investment.