Building Chinese brands in the US

The growth of Chinese outward foreign direct investment has garnered worldwide attention. Many businesspeople, officials, and scholars are aware that a substantial proportion of this investment has gone into the energy and resources sector. Quite a few, however, do not realize that Chinese companies have invested significantly in non-resource sectors such as automobiles and auto parts, aviation, banking, biotechnology, entertainment, and even tourism.

Fewer still know that China has invested substantial amounts of money in North America, particularly the United States, which, according to Dealogic Holdings, absorbed around 15 percent of Chinese OFDI in 2012. Past marquee, multi-billion dollar Chinese investments in the US include Dalian Wanda Group's acquisition of AMC Entertainment Holdings, Sinopec's stake in Devon Energy, and Lenovo's acquisition of IBM's PC division.

The rationales for such investments have been diverse. Chinese firms have sought to gain technology, to enhance their managerial skills, to enhance the production and flow of minerals, oil, timber and foodstuffs, to bolster their product lines, and to escape sharp competition at home. More recently, they have sought to bolster their brand - their reputation for quality products or services - and thus capture a greater percentage of the value associated with the final goods that they produce. Investing abroad has facilitated this quest by putting them directly in front of the consumer.