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Hot Topics for MNCs, Cool Analysis

Bounding Investment In China: Constraints and Complications
June 14th, 2023
The United States (US) has been striving for some time to hinder China’s acquisition of technology-related hardware, software, and intellectual property (IP) through export controls, limits on Chinese investment in American high-tech firms, and even investigations of researchers tied to Chinese universities and think tanks. The goal ostensibly is to prevent Beijing from acquiring technology that would bolster China’s military capabilities.
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Second Takes on China’s Foreign Economic Policy after the 2023 Two Sessions and 20th Party Congress
March 26th, 2023
China’s 20th Party Congress in October 2022 and its March 2023 “Two Sessions” revealed the new top leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), confirmed China’s top government officials, shed light on the CCP’s current agenda, concerns, and dogmas, promulgated new policies, and presented the government’s work program.
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Wong MNC Center News

Dr. Sebastian Bersick has joined the Wong MNC Center as a Non-Resident Senior Fellow
August 26th, 2023
Dr. Sebastian Bersick has joined the Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations as a Senior Research Fellow. Dr. Bersick is Professor of International Political Economy of East Asia and Vice-Dean, Faculty of East Asian Studies, Ruhr-Universität Bochum (Germany). He also is the Executive Director of the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence for European Union (EU)-Asia Connectivity. For more information, please visit https://mnccenter.org/...
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Executive Director Jean-Marc F. Blanchard interviewed for Asian Sentinel story on Brilliance Boss’s HK Bribery Probe and Risks for JVs
August 26th, 2023
On August 13, 2023, Dr. Jean-Marc F. Blanchard, Founding Executive Director of the Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations, was interviewed by Asian Sentinel regarding the arrest in Hong Kong of the chairman of Brilliance China Automotive Holdings and the arrest’s potential implications for its joint venture partners, which include BMW and Renault. According to Asian Sentinel, Brilliance manufactures and sells certain types of cars,...
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Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations book panel on Chinese Overseas Ports in Europe and the Americas well received
July 16th, 2023
On July 12, 2023, Dr. Jean-Marc F. Blanchard, Executive Director of the Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations (Wong MNC Center), led a panel entitled “Diving into Chinese Overseas Ports in Europe” which was arranged for the 17th annual gathering of the “China Goes Global” conference (Bologna, Italy). The purpose of this panel was to disseminate the findings of the Wong MNC Center orchestrated book Chinese Overseas Ports in Europe...
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THAM Siew Yean has joined the Wong MNC Center as a Senior Research Fellow
June 20th, 2023
Dr. THAM Siew Yean has joined the Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations as a Senior Research Fellow. She is Emeritus Professor at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (National University of Malaysia) as well as Visiting Senior Fellow at Regional Economic Studies (RES), ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore. For more information, please visit https://mnccenter.org/research-fellows.
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Executive Director of the Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations Meets with Dr. NGEOW Chow Bing
June 8th, 2023
In late May, Dr. Jean-Marc F. Blanchard, Founding Executive Director of the Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations (“Wong MNC Center”), met with Dr. NGEOW Chow Bing, the Director of Institute of China Studies at the University of Malaysia, in Kuala Lumpur. Dr. Blanchard spoke to Dr. Ngeow about various aspects of Chinese investment in Malaysia, updated him on the research and other activities of the Wong MNC Center, and presented...
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C. Lawrence Greenwood Becomes Member of the Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations Board of Directors
June 8th, 2023
In early April, C. Lawrence Greenwood, a long-time member of the Advisory Board for the Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations (“Wong MNC Center”), became a member of the Board of Directors. Larry is Senior Adviser at BowerGroupAsia and also Japan Society of Northern California (JSNC) Board Chairman. From 2016-2019, he was JSNC President. Previously, he was Senior Managing Director for Government Relations in Asia for MetLife....
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Mr. Ker Gibbs joins the Advisory Board of the Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations
April 1st, 2023
Mr. Ker Gibbs has joined the Advisory Board of the Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations. He is Executive in Residence, University of San Francisco (California, USA). He was most recently the President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai (AmCham Shanghai). Before his appointment as AmCham Shanghai President, he served on its Board of Governors for four years. Currently, he also is an Economic and Technology...
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Wong MNC Center Executive Director Jean-Marc F. Blanchard Gives Two Speeches at 2023 International Studies Association Annual Meeting
March 26th, 2023
In mid-March, Dr. Jean-Marc F. Blanchard, Founding Executive Director of the Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations (Wong MNC Center), gave two speeches at the 2023 International Studies Association Annual Meeting, one of the largest global gatherings of international relations specialists, in Montreal, Canada. These speeches related to research being undertaken pursuant to ongoing Wong MNC Center initiatives on the effects of...
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Publications of Wong MNC Center Staff, Advisory Board Members, and Research Fellows

Europe's Geoeconomic Revolution: How the EU Learned to Wield Its Real Power

Matthias Matthijs and Sophie Meunier

The European Union has recently operated a revolutionary conversion to geoeconomics -the use of economic tools for geopolitical purposes. As a result, the bloc is today more cohesive and better prepared to navigate growing geopolitical rivalries. This article analyzes the conditions that led to the EU’s geoeconomic turn, including the role played by China, the Trump Administration, and internal politics in Europe, as well as the panoply of geoeconomic tools created by the EU over the past four years.

China’s Italian Ports in the Spotlight: Economic, Social and Geopolitical Aspects

Francesca Spigarelli and Dominique Lepore

With the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which positions Italy as a bridge between Europe and the Mediterranean area, Italian ports have been competing to attract container traffic and gain value from the growing trade flows with China. Nevertheless, Chinese investments in Mediterranean ports raise diverse concerns about European competitiveness as well as their geopolitical impact. These issues resurfaced after Italy committed itself to the BRI by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China in March 2019.

Wong MNC Center Publications & Sponsored Publications

Chinese overseas ports in Europe and the Americas: Understanding Smooth and Turbulent Waters

Jean-Marc F. Blanchard

This book analyzes the progress, gains, and effects of Chinese overseas ports through in-depth and systematic studies of numerous cases in Europe and Latin America. China’s participation in overseas ports, especially under the rubric of the Belt and Road Initiative, is a matter of great concern to businesspeople, policymakers, and researchers pondering the implications of Chinese infrastructure activities and overseas investment.

China’s Maritime Silk Road and Small States: Lessons from the Case of Djibouti

David Styan

This article sheds light on the factors shaping China’s Maritime Silk Road Initiative (MSRI) in small states through a study of Djibouti and the MSRI. It also analyses the establishment of China’s first overseas military base and thus evaluates the military-security implications of Chinese MSRI ports.

Data Snapshots, Rankings, and Indexes

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Top Ten PRC Non-Financial Companies by Assets (2015, 2020, 2022)
Top Ten PRC Non-Financial firms by Assets, 2015, 2020, 2022
Annual Chinese Outward FDI Seemingly Plummeting since 2017
Japan and Korea long have been Vietnam's dominant FDI sources

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