迈向投资强国，中国准备好了吗？ // China has 'slim chance' to be top FDI site

China has 'slim chance' to be top FDI site//迈向投资强国，中国准备好了吗？
By Ding Qingfen and Matt Hodges (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-07-23 06:35
Comments(0)PrintMail
LargeMediumSmall
BEIJING - The chances of China overtaking the United States as the top foreign direct investment (FDI) destination remain slim in the short term, despite robust momentum in Chinese FDI and the narrowing gap with the US in FDI volume, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said on Thursday.
But China is likely to continue as the second most attractive country for absorbing FDI this year, said Zhan Xiaoning, director of the Investment and Enterprise Division under the UNCTAD, at a press briefing on the release of the 2010 World Investment Report.
Related readings:
 Chinese foreign investment surges despite slowdown
 China's FDI up 19.6% in H1 China's FDI grows 27.48% in May
China's economic growth remains high and the US continues to be troubled by a high unemployment rate and slowdown in growth.
China in 2009 saw an inflow of FDI worth $95 billion, $34.9 billion less than that of what the US received, according to the UNCTAD.
Still, China's FDI during the first quarter was $43.8 billion, while FDI into the US fell by 60 percent from a year earlier to $46.1 billion during the same period, leaving a gap of $2.3 billion.
"Despite the narrowing gap, we cannot find strong enough proof to show that China could surpass the US as the most attractive destination for FDI in the short and medium term, as there is little possibility that China's FDI will grow by large margins," Zhan said.
According to Wang Zhile, director of the research center on transnational corporations under the Ministry of Commerce, the US enjoys more advantages than China in absorbing foreign investors.
"It has standardized rules and regulations, powerful consumption market and research and development capability and highly talented laborers, all of which are more attractive for investors compared with cheap laborers and high-speed economic growth," Wang said.
China's GDP decelerated during the second quarter of this year to 10.3 percent and the nation is heralding a new wave of wage increases.
But the country remains an attractive FDI destination, barring large fluctuations in the global economy, analysts said.
"China will probably remain as the second largest in terms of FDI volume this year," Zhan said.
Zhan also refuted recent criticism by a few foreign businesses against the Chinese investment environment, emphasizing that "China's commitment to economic transformation and industrial upgrade is having a positive impact on the nation's FDI inflow, rather than driving foreign investment away".
Since 1993, China has turned into the second-largest recipient of FDI after the US. According to the ministry, China's FDI for June increased by 40 percent to $13 billion, the highest single increase since December 2007. Ministry officials said the strong growth will be maintained in the second half if the global economy remains stable.
"Holding onto second place should not be a problem for China, due to China's GDP growth," said Xian Guoming, director of the Center for Transnationals' Studies of Tianjin-based Nankai University.
European Union Commissioner for Trade Karel De Gucht said in Shanghai on Thursday that European companies are increasingly concerned about their business prospects in China due to the effects of the sovereign debt crisis and trade restrictions imposed by Beijing.
Ioana Kraft, general manager of the European Chamber of Commerce in China, said "the problem is that China is slowly trying to close the door (to protect the interests of Chinese companies)".
But Vice-Minister of Commerce Gao Hucheng suggested that "this was not the case" and China is "strongly opposed to protectionism".
According to the UNCTAD, FDI inflow and outflow worldwide this year is forecast to exceed $1.2 trillion, rising from the bottom during the second half of 2009. The figure is set to climb to a "level before the financial crisis" in 2012, reaching $1.6-2 trillion.
China's outbound direct investment will also see rapid growth in the years ahead as it is "high time" that China invested overseas, the UNCTAD forecast.
迈向投资强国，中国准备好了吗？
2010年07月23日 15:22:38 　来源： 新华网 【字号大小】【留言】【打印】【关闭】



资料图：7月6日，欧盟委员会决定，批准中国浙江吉利控股集团有限公司和大庆市国有资产经营有限公司并购瑞典沃尔沃轿车公司。这是3月28日，在瑞典第二大城市哥德堡的沃尔沃公司总部，中国吉利汽车集团董事长李书福在签署收购协议后出席记者招待会。新华社记者 武巍 摄
新华网北京７月２３日电（记者叶书宏）联合国贸发会议２２日发布的《２０１０年度世界投资报告》显示，２００９年中国对外投资５２０亿美元，从上年的全球第１０名跃升至第５名，位居美国、法国、日本和德国之后。这份报告预计，未来三年中国对外投资额将位居世界第二，仅次于美国，同时中国将涌现一批大型跨国企业。
金融危机背景下，２００９年中国对外直接投资排名提前，原因在于，一方面中国比世界其他经济体复苏态势更好，另一方面则是其他国家对外投资下降。但是，撇开危机因素从中长期看，中国走向对外投资大国也是经济发展周期的必然。
历史上，英国、美国和日本这些发达国家都曾经历依托本国资本优势、人力优势、技术优势、营销优势等开拓外部市场的过程，但到达一定阶段之后，资本输出就越来越多地取代产品输出。
中国企业海外并购额将创新高 境内投资快速复苏
胡援东:中国企业海外投资应从4方面规避风险
搜索更多对外投资 的新闻
世界投资报告：2009年中国跃升全球第二大吸收外资国
贸发会议说全球外国直接投资复苏形势向好
综述：全球投资开始复苏　中国成为后起之秀
非洲去年吸收外国直接投资下降19％
全球投资开始复苏 中国成为后起之秀│投资绿色能源 中国首超美国│中国热衷海外买矿│2009年中国跃升全球第二大吸收外资国