March 2019 Newsletter

The Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations, a California (US) think tank, promotes discussion about and research on the politico-economy of MNCs investing, operating, or domiciled in East Asia.


MNCs in the News

MNCs in the News-2019-03-01

China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announces China will keep improving the legal and market environments for foreign investors. United States (US) President Donald Trump recently announced the US has made substantial progress in talks with Beijing on improving its IP protection. American Chamber of Commerce in China survey indicates some positive views about China’s progress in protecting intellectual property rights (IPR), though concerns about profitability and the future are rising. Following the European Parliament’s approval of a mechanism to control foreign investment in strategic sectors, Chinese official calls upon the EU to adopt an open and inclusive attitude towards foreign companies. Per JETRO survey, Japanese parts...

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MNCs in the News-2019-02-22

Shanghai municipal government investment measures appear to have enabled the city to maintain strong foreign investment growth despite a challenging environment. BIStel says it will expand its investment in China despite the China-United States trade war because China is its biggest target market. Saudi Arabia’s Aramco signs Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for investment in major refining and petrochemical investments in Liaoning that may substantially boost energy exports to China. According to China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), Chinese non-financial outbound FDI in 47 countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) increased 8.1 percent year-over-year. Despite uncertainties over Brexit, Chinese companies remain...

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MNCs in the News-2019-02-15

Per China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), inward foreign direct investment (FDI) flows in January increased 4.8 percent versus the prior period in 2018. Despite United States (US)-China trade dispute, in January, China’s IFDI from the US increased 126.8 percent compared to the same period in 2018. European Parliament revamps European Union (EU) investment screening mechanism to give European Commission power to review deals, though ultimate decision making remains with EU states. U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission highlights personal and national security risks from Chinese investors taking stakes in American biotech companies. Israel will create an interagency body to oversee sensitive commercial deals partly to ensure...

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Blog Postings

Chump Change? The risks of Banking on financial sector opening in China

Dr. Jean-Marc F. Blanchard

China has long assured others of its intent to open up its financial sector. While it has never been entirely clear what this means, many have expected China not just to let in more foreign companies, but also to let them hold greater ownership stakes in their China operations and conduct more lines of business. Not surprisingly, foreign companies salivated at the prospect of minting huge... Read more

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