Blackstone CEO predicts China will invest more in the US

NEW YORK - Blackstone Group Chairman and CEO Stephen Schwarzman said has been a big increase in China's investment overseas, predicting more investment of housing market from China into the United States.

"Buildings are easy to buy and less political sensitive than companies," he said in an interview during the China General Chamber of Commerce (CGCC) 2015 Finance & Real Estate Forum held in Manhattan, New York City.

Chinese companies have opportunities to invest in a wide range of industries in the United States, and investment in real estate, in particular, would surge, said Schwarzman.

He believed US house prices would continue to grow at a slower rate as the housing prices are still a lot lower than their peak time.

Given most US investors don't understand China, he recommended Chinese investors should find local partners when making outbound investment.

Schwarzman also said he has confidence in China's economy.

"Outsiders are more cautious as China will make the transition from export-driven to consumption-driven," he said. "The chance that China will find a way forward is quite high."

China's economy is entering the "new normal," which means it will be developing at a slower, but more sustainable pace. It will change to depend more on expanding consumption and services for growth as the country is transformed to a different model of economy.

He has seen many opportunities in this new growth model of China. According to him, Blackstone has bought a company of medical devices and another one engaged in internet services because there will be more growth potential in those areas.

He has also had a close look of China's "Silk Road Economic Belt," a part of the country's "One belt, One road" initiative, and praised it as a very clever one.

China could use the surplus capacity to help other countries' growth. It's a good foreign policy for China and neighboring countries, said Schwarzman.

"One belt, One road" initiative, also known as the Belt and Road Initiative, refers to creating the modern Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road to boost international trade and expand global economic ties via linking up the three continents of Asia, Europe and Africa. It was proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping when he visited Central Asia and Southeast Asia in September and October of 2013.

Schwarzman established Blackstone with former US Secretary of Commerce Pete Peterson in 1985. Blackstone now manages $310 billion in assets for public and corporate pension funds, academic, cultural and charitable organizations, among others.

In 2013, Schwarzman contributed $100 million to the Schwarzman Scholars program, an international scholarship program that he established with the help of China's elite Tsinghua University, which aims at helping to build stronger links between China and the rapidly changing world.