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Apple in Tokyo
Apple opened its first Apple store outside the United States in Japan in 2003 and introduced the iPhone to Japan in 2008. After some initial struggles, the firm made great strides partly because of its partnership with SoftBank. Within a relatively short period, Apple’s iPhone became the best selling smartphone in Japan by a large margin.
Bank of China in Hong Kong
The Bank of China (BoC) is the oldest bank in mainland China and one of the largest banks in the world in terms of assets. As of 2016, it had over USD $2.6 trillion of assets, $2 trillion of deposits, and branches on every inhabited continent. BoC (Hong Kong) Limited came into being in 2001 and is active in providing personal, corporate, and treasury banking services.
McDonald’s in Shanghai
McDonald’s, the iconic American hamburger chain, opened its first store in China in 1992. Facing challenges along the way, it expanded steadily, opening almost 1,000 stores by the end of the 2000s. Recently, a Chinese investment firm CITIC and an American private equity firm Carlyle bought control of McDonald’s China operations.
Singapore, a global financial powerhouse
Singapore is a leading global financial center that remains attractive to foreign companies because of its well-developed business environment, high-quality infrastructure, extensive links offering great access to global markets, deep pool of high quality human capital, and stability.
China's Chery races to the top in Latin America
Chery is making huge gains in Latin American markets and has established assembly plants in Brazil, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Chery's cars rank in the top-ten best-selling cars in major Latin American markets like Chile, Peru, and Uruguay, with Chery selling a record 3.6 million units in Brazil in 2012.
Sanyo electrifies Piccadilly Circus
Sanyo, a subsidiary of Panasonic, one of the world's largest electronic product manufacturers with almost US $71 billion in annual sales and 300,000 employees, has been a prominent icon on Picadilly Circus since 1987. It's iconic sign will be replaced by a Hyundai sign, perhaps an indicator of the rise of Korean MNCs.

MNCs in the News

MNCs in the News-2018-12-14

December 18th, 2018

Inward foreign direct investment (FDI) into China for the first 11 months of 2018 year-over-year relatively stable. Beijing stops requiring its local governments to support the Made in China 2025 policy. European Union Ambassador to China calls on China to stop requiring companies to transfer technology for market access. Apple considers moving some production out of China due to possibility of increased tariffs on its China-produced smartphones and laptops. 2018 proves a tough year for Chinese outward FDI (OFDI)...

MNCs in the News-2018-12-07

December 9th, 2018

China says will lift all barriers to foreign direct investment (FDI) not included on the negative list and launch a special inspection to ensure foreign investors are treated fairly. China is advancing its promise to open its financial sector as evidenced by its approval of Swiss UBS Group’s control of a local joint venture (JV). Tesla has opened the bidding to build its “gigafactory” in Shanghai that will help it avoid Chinese tariffs on imported US-built cars. Sensitive to rising national security concerns, British...

Wong MNC Center News

2018-10 Global Backlash Conference Offers Valuable Insights into National and Corporate Efforts to Cope with Anti-Globalization

October 29th, 2018

In late October, the one-and-a-half-day Global Backlash conference, hosted by UC Berkeley and co-organized by the Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations (Wong MNC Center), Berkeley APEC Studies Center (BASC), and Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity (CLTC), took place at the University of California, Berkeley (USA). During the first day, participants, including academics and former and current policymakers, from China, Korea, India,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Louis Brennan, Ph.D., FTCD, has joined the Wong MNC Center as a Senior Research Fellow

December 27th, 2017

Dr. Louis Brennan, FTCD, has joined the Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations as a Senior Research Fellow. Dr. Brennan is a Fellow of Trinity College Dublin and Professor with the Trinity Business School (Ireland), and an authority on Chinese Investment in Europe. For more information, please see http://www.mnccenter.org/research-fellows.

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...

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...

“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, and Research Fellows

The Development of China's Maritime Silk Road Initiative in South Asia & it Implication for Business & Government

Jean-Marc F. Blanchard

This piece discusses the general features as well as economic and political goals of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the associated Maritime Silk Road Initiative (MSRI), with a special focus on the MSRI in South Asia, a key MSRI region. It also identifies a number of economic factors at the country level, and with respect to China-e.g., high debt levels for some South Asian participants and and Chinese limits on outward foreign direct investment (FDI)-that will affect the realization of the MSRI.

"A retrospective and agenda for future research on Chinese outward foreign direct investment."

Peter J. Buckley, Jeremy Clegg, Hinrich Voss, Adam R. Cross, Xin Liu, and Ping Zheng

The authors’ original 2007 Journal of International Business Studies article, “The Determinants of Chinese Outward Foreign Direct Investment,” was the first theoretically based empirical analysis of the phenomenon. It utilized internalization theory to explain the internationalization of Chinese state-owned enterprises. This paper showed that the authors’ had failed to ask sufficiently challenging questions about the effects of home country institutions on outward foreign direct investment (OFDI).

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

BRI and FOIP: Politicizing Investments

Dr. Amitendu Palit
Posted: Nov 07, 2018

The Asia-Pacific Region (APR) is experiencing a surge of connectivity initiatives. China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is now accompanied by the Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP). There is also the upcoming Asia-Africa Growth Corridor being promoted by Japan and India.

The Implications of the China-US Trade War Given the Growing Importance of Japanese Subsidiaries to Japanese MNCs

Mr. Naoyuki Haraoka
Posted: Oct 12, 2018

The latest Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) Statistical Survey on Japanese overseas subsidiaries published on September 26 revealed their sales, facility and equipment investment, and employment all achieved significantly high growth.

The Global Trade War and Korea’s FDI Strategy

Dr. Hwy-Chang Moon
Posted: Aug 14, 2018

Concerns about the possible negative impact on Korea’s economy from the global trade war, sparked by the escalation of American trade protectionism, are serious and real. However, aside from what news reports discuss as a potential threat to world trade, the most critical area that deserves our attention is foreign direct investment (FDI).

Investments and Connectivity: Digital Capacity Matters

Dr. Amitendu Palit
Posted: Jul 04, 2018

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and upcoming regional connectivity plans like the Asia-Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC) should stimulate foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows in countries getting connected and developing new industrial and other capacities. These investments, among other factors, would be driven by local and national capacities to do business across cyberspace. Discussions on connectivity often overlook this vital element as they focus on land and sea links.

Pondering National Security Concerns as a Basis for Trade and Investment Barriers

Mr. Naoyuki Haraoka
Posted: Jun 20, 2018

In March, United States (US) President Donald Trump decided to raise tariffs on steel by 25 percent and on aluminum by 10 percent for national security reasons. This raised concerns about possible retaliation by US trading partners that might lead to a damaging cycle of trade actions that shrank world trade and spurred a global depression. US national security economic-related worries pertain not only to trade but also to foreign direct investment (FDI), especially high-tech FDI, because an increasing number of civilian technologies can be adapted for military use.

Upcoming Events

Jan 30 Asia Pacific Energy Assembly (Singapore) The 2019 Asia Pacific Energy Assembly gathers the “most influential energy investment network in the world.” Under the theme of “Energy Vision in Action,” explorers,... Read more »	Feb 19 IndoGAS 2019 Conference & Exhibition (Jakarta) The International Indonesia Gas Conference (IndoGas 2019) takes place against the backdrop of new Indonesian government regulations that have been adopted to reduce the... Read more »
Mar 5 BIO Asia International Conference (Tokyo, Japan) At the BIO Asia International Conference, attendees will gain insights into the changes, challenges, and opportunities that key opinion and policy leaders foresee for the... Read more »	Mar 7 PERE Asia (Hong Kong) As the leading private equity real estate conference in Asia, PERE Asia gathers international investors, fund managers, and opinion leaders to explore the latest trends and... Read more »