Home

MNCs in the News

MNCs in the News-2019-12-06
December 10th, 2019
Per Chinese media, the Chinese government is on the verge of promulgating its “unreliable entities” list which will identify foreign companies that may be subject to sanctions. Beijing municipality moves to open its service sector to a wide variety of firms, though limitations will remain in some areas. Pledged foreign direct investment (FDI) from China into Vietnam surges to record levels over first 11 months of 2019. Online survey suggests that individuals in major Latin American countries have a generally...
Read more »
MNCs in the News-2019-11-22
November 26th, 2019
China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) issues new negative list for market access. Despite trade war with United States (US) and slowing economic growth, China witnesses solid inward foreign direct investment (FDI) flows for 1st 10th months of 2019. FDI in China’s insurance sector shows notable developments in 2019. All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese encourages overseas Chinese businesspeople to get involvement in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (...
Read more »

Wong MNC Center News

Executive Director Jean-Marc F. Blanchard speaks at EU-China Roundtable on “The Business of Trade, Investment, and Global Politics.”
October 27th, 2019
Dr. Jean-Marc F. Blanchard, Executive Director of the Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations, participated in a EU-China Roundtable on “The Business of Trade, Investment, and Global Politics” organized by the University of Pittsburgh Asian Studies and European Studies Centers. At the Roundtable in Pittsburgh, held on October 24, Dr. Blanchard spoke about some of the challenges and opportunities for European businesses contemplating...
Read more »
Executive Director Jean-Marc F. Blanchard presents paper on China-India Relations in the Context of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) at Seminar on “The Future of Sino-Indian Relations”
October 27th, 2019
Dr. Jean-Marc F. Blanchard, Executive Director of the Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations, presented a paper on China-India Relations in the Context of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) at a seminar on “The Future of Sino-Indian Relations: Problems and Prospects” held at Heidelberg University, Germany in mid-October 2019. Dr. Blanchard analyzed China’s economic, political, and military reaction to India’s multifaceted and...
Read more »
Executive Director Jean-Marc F. Blanchard interviewed for Asia Times article on situation in Hong Kong and impact on Chinese investment
September 29th, 2019
Dr. Jean-Marc F. Blanchard, Executive Director of the Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations, was interviewed for a Asia Times story about the impact of Hong Kong protests on Chinese overseas foreign direct investment (FDI). The issue arises because a large proportion of Chinese outward FDI (OFDI), almost 60 percent, flows through Hong Kong. Chinese OFDI (COFDI) is already facing pressures because of increased sensitivites in host...
Read more »
Executive Director Dr. Jean-Marc F. Blanchard gives invited speech for “China Crossroads” Talk Series (Shanghai, China)
June 1st, 2019
On May 29, Dr. Jean-Marc F. Blanchard, Executive Director of the Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations gave a speech entitled “Belt and Road, Neither Boom nor Bust: The Continuing Relevance of Politics and Economics” for the popular “China Crossroads” Talk Series. Dr. Blanchard addressed the heated debate about if China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is booming, on the road to stagnation, or, worse, failure and sought avoid the...
Read more »
Executive Director Dr. Jean-Marc F. Blanchard gives invited talk for UNNC Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences’ Distinguished Speaker Series (Ningbo, China)
June 1st, 2019
On May 8, the Executive Director of the Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations Dr. Jean-Marc F. Blanchard was invited to give a talk for the University of Ningbo Nottingham China (UNNC) Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences’ Distinguished Speaker Series. Dr. Blanchard spoke about China and Global Economic Governance (GEG), specifically focusing on China’s stance towards inward foreign direct investment (FDI) as a way to gauge...
Read more »
Executive Director Jean-Marc F. Blanchard presents paper at 2018-09-21 Workshop on China's Maritime Silk Road Initiative, Africa, and Middle East
September 30th, 2018
On September 21, 2018, the Mr. & Mr. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporation (Wong MNC Center) and the University of Nottingham, Ningbo jointly held a workshop on China’s Maritime Silk Road Initiative (MSRSI), Africa, and the Middle East. The workshop reviewed the progress of the MSRSI, examined the role of Djibouti in the MSRI (David Styan), contemplated relations between the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council and China within the context...
Read more »
Executive Director Jean-Marc F. Blanchard Gives Speech at “2018 June 20th (2018) China Venture Capital & Private Equity Forum”
June 25th, 2018
Dr. Jean-Marc F. Blanchard, the Executive Director of the Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations (Wong MNC Center), gave a keynote speech on June 10 at the 20th China Venture Capital & Private Equity Forum in Shenzhen, China at a panel that considered how to enhance business, scientific and technical, and other forms of cooperation in the Guangdong-Macao-Hong Kong (China) Greater Bay Area (粤港澳大湾区). During his presentation...
Read more »
Executive Director Jean-Marc F. Blanchard gives speech at 2018 April 18 UNIDO Conference
May 26th, 2018
On April 18, 2018, Dr. Jean-Marc F. Blanchard, Executive Director of the Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations gave a speech at a United Nation's Industrial and Development Organization (UNIDO) conference (in Shanghai, China) entitled "Fostering Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development (ISID) in the New Silk Road Economic Belt: Leveraging potentials of Industrial Parks, Zones, and Cities." The title of Dr. Blanchard's...
Read more »
Executive Director Jean-Marc F. Blanchard gives keynote speech at 2nd Silicon Valley-Beijing Internet of Things Summit
January 16th, 2018
On January 13, 2018, Dr. Jean-Marc F. Blanchard, Executive Director of the Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations (Wong MNC Center) gave a keynote speech at the 2nd Silicon Valley-Beijing Internet of Things Summit & Investment and Financing Competition on a panel entitled “Design for Manufacturing.” The title of Dr. Blanchard’s speech was “The Political Environment Surrounding Chinese Expansion in Silicon Valley.” In his...
Read more »
Wong MNC Center "The Political Economy of China's Maritime Silk Road Initiative (MSRI), Africa, and the Middle East" Conference a Big Success
November 22nd, 2017
On November 18 and 19, 2017, the "Political Economy of China's Maritime Silk Road Initiative (MSRI), Africa, and the Middle East" conference was held in Shanghai, China. The conference, orchestrated and co-sponsored by the Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations (Wong MNC Center) and hosted and co-sponsored by the School of Advanced International and Area Studies (SAIAS) at East China Normal University (ECNU), attracted scholars and...
Read more »
Executive Director Blanchard becomes editor of the Palgrave Studies in Asia-Pacific Political Economy series
September 28th, 2015
The Executive Director of the Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations Jean-Marc F. Blanchard has become the editor of the Palgrave Studies in Asia-Pacific Political Economy series. The series aims to publish works, which will be meaningful to academics, businesspeople, and policymakers and broaden or deepen their knowledge about contemporary events or significant trends, or enable them to think in new ways about the interaction of...
Read more »

Wong MNC Center Publications & Sponsored Publications

“Myanmar’s Role in China’s Maritime Silk Road Initiative”

J. Mohan Malik

This article argues that the origins and theoretical underpinnings of Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative can actually be traced back to the mid-1980s, that is, almost three decades before the official media unveiled the Maritime Silk Road Initiative (MSRI). It examines the changing role of Myanmar in China’s grand strategy in general and in MSRI in particular by undertaking an investigation of trade and investment relations. This analysis of the geo-economic and geo-strategic implications of MSRI is undertaken in order to offer a prognosis of benefits and costs for Myanmar.

“Regional Responses to China’s Maritime Silk Road Initiative in Southeast Asia”

Shaofeng Chen

Southeast Asia has sat atop China’s Maritime Silk Road Initiative (MSRI). By and large, most Southeast Asian countries hailed China’s MSRI, but their responses to it have some variances. The article aims to analyze why they have differing responses. It contends that the primary determinant is changing domestic politics, specifically, ruling elites’ policy priority, degree of trust of China, leaders’ ideology and preference, and social response.

Publications of Wong MNC Center Staff, Advisory Board Members, and Research Fellows

Brazil’s Samba with China

Jean-Marc F. Blanchard

There are many who expect China’s rising foreign direct investment (FDI) in, exports to, and economic collaboration with Latin American countries will drive such countries to adopt foreign and domestic politics friendly to China as well as China-favored policies. This article tests the power of such arguments by examining the impact of Chinese outward FDI (OFDI) in Brazil, Brazil’s trade with China, and Chinese loans to Brazil on Brazil’s China policy. It finds that broad and deep economic ties indeed have pushed Brazil in the direction of China.

The Politics of Latin America’s Investment and Other Links with China

Jean-Marc F. Blanchard

There are three positions about the impact of outward foreign direct investment (FDI) from China on the policies of Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries: the “Wealth is Power” camp, which associates political power with Chinese economic lures; the “Conditionalist” camp, which contends the international and domestic economic and political context determines the specific political effect of Chinese outward FDI (OFDI); and the “Politics is Power” camp, which believes no dramatic political changes have resulted from the economic stimuli of Chinese OFDI (COFDI) and associated economic lu

Data Snapshots, Rankings, and Indexes

Click to enlarge displayed image

Japanese FDI Flows to Southeast Asian Countries Not Reaching Old Highs
China-Japan FDI flows seem little correlated with other economic flows
U.S. FDI in China continues to Increase in the Aggregate and in Most Sectors

Featured Blog Postings

Upcoming Events

Feb
12
Future Energy Asia (Bangkok)

Endorsed by the Thai Ministry of Energy, Department of Industry, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, Future Energy Asia, will assemble...

Read more »
Feb
18
Opportunities in Southeast Asia’s Growth Story (Philippines)

This two-day conference offers participants opportunities to expand their business footprint and regional cooperation. Its sessions will tackle the Association of Southeast...

Read more »
Mar
3
Asia Pacific Energy Assembly (Singapore)

The Asia Pacific Energy Assembly brings together senior executives, producers, buyers, innovators, financing institutions, and law firms to discuss thought leadership, business...

Read more »
Mar
3
8th Annual Asia Pacific Energy Assembly (Singapore)

The Asia Pacific Energy Assembly is the most influential finance and investment meeting for the Asian energy sector. It gathers experts, international organizations, and C-...

Read more »
more