China's Outward Foreign Direct Investments

Chinäs transition process from a developing to an advanced economy is steadily increasing its weight and footprint in the world economy, and Outward Foreign Direct Investments (OFDI) have been, especially over the last fifteen years, at the forefront of Chinäs development and internationalization. The general research objective of the present work is to offer an assessment of the Chinese outward direct investment flows and the influence of the Chinese governmental policies on the OFDI evolution, both globally and with a special focus on the European Union, tracing the path of Chinäs emergence as a global source of OFDI, since the beginning of the opening up policy in 1978, with the highlight on the period of OFDI accelerated development (2003-2014). The analysis of the Chinese OFDI flows is realized primarily from a Chinese perspective, in order to better clarify the position and determination of Chinäs investors and policy-makers, and which should serve as a framework for the European Union and its member states for understanding Chinese investments and the development of mutual relations.