German media: China becomes the world's largest source of foreign investment

Reference News Network, January 13 report. According to the German "China Platform" website, on January 12, it was reported that in the first half of 2025, China replaced the United States for the first time as the largest source of foreign investment. According to Bloomberg, according to data from the OECD, Chinese capital accounted for 10% of global cross-border investment flows.

Analysts believe this is a fundamental restructuring of the global investment landscape. Although the stock of foreign investments held by the United States remains far higher than that of China, during President Trump's term, the focus of U.S. investments has increasingly shifted domestically.

Chinese companies are filling the gaps left by the U.S. withdrawal from some overseas investments. Data from Rödl & Partner shows that a considerable portion of Chinese overseas investments have flowed into Indonesia and Thailand, especially in the fields of electric vehicles, batteries, and data centers. In Africa, Chinese investments are gradually moving beyond traditional resource extraction, focusing more on industrial clusters, energy infrastructure, and manufacturing projects.

Greenfield investment is the main method of China's overseas expansion. In the first three quarters of 2025, over 85% of China's large-scale overseas investments were used for new projects rather than acquisitions. This trend is expected to strengthen further in 2026.

Changes in the global flow of capital are forcing countries to reassess their economic relationships with China and the United States. Reactions within the European Union have been mixed. French President Macron publicly expressed support for increased Chinese investment, but at the same time, the EU is discussing strengthening investment reviews and stricter intellectual property protection measures within its framework for "de-risking" its relationship with China. (Translated by Nie Litaotao)

Original: toutiao.com/article/7594845835659674139/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.