Chinese companies invested 28.04 billion U.S. dollars into firms in the United States in 2023, when measured on a historical-cost basis. The total foreign direct investments in the U.S. were valued at approximately 5.39 trillion U.S. dollars in that year. Sino-American relations FDI flows are even higher from the United States into China than the flows in this statistic. In addition to FDI, the countries are linked by billions of U.S. dollars in trade value, much of which includes integrated supply chains which see intermediate products shipped back and forth before a final product goes to consumers. This close economic relationship does not imply a political partnership, however. In fact, the countries engaged in what most analysts consider a trade war starting in 2018. China’s other options China is expanding its Belt and Road Initiative, producing infrastructure investments abroad in different parts of Asia. However, these outflows do not yet reach the values seen in this statistic, partly due to the smaller size of the target economies. Still, the majority of net overseas direct investment from China goes to Asia. This measure is slightly different because it does not give the total volume of investments, but it underscores the importance of regional ties to Chinese investors.

This statistic shows the direct investment position of the United States in China from 2000 to 2023, on a historical-cost basis. In 2023, the U.S. investments made in China were valued at 126.91 billion U.S. dollars. Direct investment position of the United States - additional information Foreign direct investment (FDI), simply put, is an investment of one company into another company located in a different country. It differs from a traditional way of investing into shares of foreign companies listed on a stock exchange. The companies which make foreign direct investment usually own a part of the company in which they invest and they have influence on the decision making process. In the United States, FDI is defined as an American investor (called the U.S. parent) owning a minimum of 10 percent of a foreign firm (known as a foreign affiliate). The total direct position of the United States abroad amounted to 6.68 trillion U.S. dollars in 2023. Although the phenomenon profits greatly from the technological advances of the 21st century, as well as from the cultural flexibility of today’s workforce, FDI has a long history, going back to the colonial empires. Not without critics, FDI is generally believed to bring advantages to the investing company, such as access to new markets and decreased costs of labor, materials and production facilities. The local economy can benefit from an infusion of capital, access to new technologies and engagement of native labor pool. There are three recognized types of foreign direct investment, namely horizontal FDI, platform FDI and vertical FDI, along with various methods of implementing the investment itself. FDI considered by many one of the motors of worldwide economic growth. U.S. foreign investment abroad has seen a dramatic growth in the past decades. Multinational American corporations, especially focused on manufacturing, have largely invested in facilities overseas, due to financial benefits. However, a large share of these corporations focuses toward not only supplying the U.S. market, but also the local markets in which they operate. In 2020, the country that received the largest amount of U.S. foreign investment was the United Kingdom, with a little over one trillion U.S. dollars, followed by the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. Overall, the total amount of U.S. dollars invested in European states in 2021 reached 3.98 trillion U.S. dollars compared to 2.25 trillion U.S. dollars a decade prior.

The graph shows Chinese cash flows and capital stocks of direct investments in the United States in 2023, by sector. That year, Chinese investments in the U.S. manufacturing industry resulted in a cash flow of around 1.2 billion U.S. dollars and a capital stock of around 25.6 billion U.S. dollars.

This data package includes the underlying data and files to replicate the calculations, charts, and tables presented in Chinese Investments in the US and EU Are Declining—for Similar Reasons, PIIE Policy Brief 19-12. If you use the data, please cite as: Kirkegaard, Jacob Funk. (2019). Chinese Investments in the US and EU Are Declining—for Similar Reasons. PIIE Policy Brief 19-12. Peterson Institute for International Economics.

China Outward Investment: Latin America: Honduras data was reported at 2.990 USD mn in 2021. This records an increase from the previous number of -10.920 USD mn for 2020. China Outward Investment: Latin America: Honduras data is updated yearly, averaging 1.380 USD mn from Dec 2003 (Median) to 2021, with 9 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 49.060 USD mn in 2018 and a record low of -10.920 USD mn in 2020. China Outward Investment: Latin America: Honduras data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Commerce. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Investment – Table CN.OB: Outward Direct Investment: by Country.

Foreign Direct Investment in China increased by 98 USD Hundred Million in February of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - China Foreign Direct Investment - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Key information about China Direct Investment Abroad

• China Direct Investment Abroad expanded by 34.5 USD bn in Sep 2024, compared with a growth of 71.0 USD bn in the previous quarter.
• China Direct Investment Abroad: USD mn data is updated quarterly.
• It is available from Mar 1998 to Sep 2024 and averaged 15.4 USD bn throughout the period.
• The data reached an all-time high of 71.0 USD bn in Jun 2024 and a record low of -754.0 USD mn in Sep 2000.

• In the latest reports of China, Current Account recorded a surplus of 147.6 USD bn in Sep 2024.
• Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) fell by 8.3 USD bn in Sep 2024.
• Its Foreign Portfolio Investment increased by 24.0 USD bn in Sep 2024.
• The country's Nominal GDP was reported at 4,166.8 USD bn in Mar 2023.

Key information about China Foreign Direct Investment

• China Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) fell by 8.3 USD bn in Sep 2024, compared with a drop of 14.9 USD bn in the previous quarter.
• China Foreign Direct Investment: USD mn net flows data is updated quarterly, available from Mar 1998 to Sep 2024.
• The data reached an all-time high of 107.2 USD bn in Mar 2022 and a record low of -14.9 USD bn in Jun 2024.

• In the latest reports of China, Current Account recorded a surplus of 147.6 USD bn in Sep 2024.
• China Direct Investment Abroad expanded by 34.5 USD bn in Sep 2024.
• Its Foreign Portfolio Investment increased by 24.0 USD bn in Sep 2024.
• The country's Nominal GDP was reported at 4,166.8 USD bn in Mar 2023.

China Outward Investment: Latin America: Ecuador data was reported at 100.400 USD mn in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 16.800 USD mn for 2022. China Outward Investment: Latin America: Ecuador data is updated yearly, averaging 16.800 USD mn from Dec 2003 (Median) to 2023, with 21 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 470.600 USD mn in 2013 and a record low of -131.100 USD mn in 2017. China Outward Investment: Latin America: Ecuador data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Commerce. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Investment – Table CN.OB: Outward Direct Investment: by Country.

As of 2020, Chinese FDI flow to Africa amounted to 4.2 billion U.S. dollars. In the same period, Foreign Direct Investment from the United States totaled 2.1 billion U.S. dollars. This trend - higher Chinese than American FDI flows to Africa - has been observed since 2013, when China overtook the U.S. regarding investment flows to the continent.

This paper integrates the political influence and foreign capital literatures and examines the association between United States and Chinese overseas foreign direct investment (FDI) and host states’ political institutions. Using up to 109 developing countries from 2003-2019, and employing two-stage least squares selection modeling, we find negative and significant relationships between Chinese FDI and host states’ democracy while U.S. FDI has positive and significant associations. Our study suggests Chinese FDI and host state leaders may mutually benefit from increasing authoritarianism, producing closer political and economic ties between China and the developing world.

This statistic depicts the volume of foreign direct investments (FDI) from China to the United States between 2013 and 2023. In 2023, about 6.91 billion U.S. dollars worth of direct investments from China had been made in the United States.

China Outward Investment: Latin America: British Virgin Islands data was reported at 2.546 USD bn in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 9.116 USD bn for 2022. China Outward Investment: Latin America: British Virgin Islands data is updated yearly, averaging 3.222 USD bn from Dec 2003 (Median) to 2023, with 21 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 19.301 USD bn in 2017 and a record low of 209.680 USD mn in 2003. China Outward Investment: Latin America: British Virgin Islands data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Commerce. The data is categorized under Global Database’s China – Table CN.OB: Outward Direct Investment: by Country.

China Outward Investment: Latin America: Paraguay data was reported at 0.950 USD mn in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of -1.290 USD mn for 2022. China Outward Investment: Latin America: Paraguay data is updated yearly, averaging 0.950 USD mn from Dec 2008 (Median) to 2023, with 11 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 27.830 USD mn in 2010 and a record low of -1.290 USD mn in 2022. China Outward Investment: Latin America: Paraguay data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Commerce. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Investment – Table CN.OB: Outward Direct Investment: by Country.

This statistic shows the capital stock of Chinese foreign direct investments (FDI) in Latin America from 2013 to 2023. In 2023, China's FDI capital stock in Latin American countries amounted to around 600.8 billion U.S. dollars.

The statistic shows the value of Chinese direct investments in the United States in 2020, by sector. That year, the total value of Chinese direct investment into consumer product and service sector in the United States amounted to approximately 1.6 billion U.S. dollars.

Building on the growing debate on political determinants of foreign direct investment, we investigate the relationship between U.S. political influence and the global distribution of China's outward foreign direct investment (OFDI). Using country-level and firm-level datasets of China's greenfield investment, we find strong evidence that Chinese state controlled firms strategically reduce investment in host countries under significant political influence of the United States. Our results are robust to alternative specification and two falsification tests. The findings suggest that the Chinese government uses FDI as a way of economic diplomacy.

In 2023, total annual foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows into China amounted to around 189.13 billion U.S. dollars. According to official accounts, approximately 111.2 billion U.S. dollars were invested from Hong Kong and 3.4 billion from the U.S. However, this picture might not be representative for the actual origin of these money flows. Who are the investors? International financial hubs play an important role in directing foreign financial streams to China. According to official accounts, more than 59 percent of the inward Chinese FDI stock in 2023 had entered China through Hong Kong, while a substantial share also came from the Virgin Islands. These financial hubs offer favorable conditions or services to international investors, who are in most of the cases located in a third country. According to calculations by UNCTAD, made in an attempt to trace back ultimate investors, approximately 10.4 percent of the total Chinese inward FDI stock in 2020 originated from investors in the United States, 7.6 percent from Japan, and 6.1 percent from the United Kingdom. Only 10.4 percent originated from Hong Kong, while 12.1 percent came from within China, from Chinese companies not registered on the mainland. Investment destinations in China Although China’s economic development has spread from Eastern China into the inner provinces, foreign FDI inflows are still mainly directed towards the coastal regions, which attracted more than 80 percent of total investments in recent years. Foreign companies were most active in the Yangtze River Delta, namely in Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang province, in the Greater Bay Area in Guangdong, and in the north in Beijing, Tianjin, and Shandong province. Many investments were made in Special Economic Zones, which provide beneficial conditions for foreign investors.

Key information about China Gross Savings Rate

• China Gross Savings Rate was measured at 44.3% in Dec 2023, compared with 44.3% in the previous year.
• China Gross Savings Rate is updated yearly, with data available from Dec 1952 to Dec 2023, and an average rate of 44.3%.
• The data reached an all-time high of 44.3% in Dec 2010 and a record low of 16.5% in Dec 1962.
• CEIC calculates Gross Domestic Savings Rate from annual Gross Domestic Savings and annual Nominal GDP. Gross Domestic Savings is calculated as Nominal GDP less Final Consumption Expenditure. The National Bureau of Statistics provides Final Consumption Expenditure in local currency and Nominal GDP in local currency.
• In the latest reports, China GDP expanded 4.5% YoY in Mar 2023.
• China Nominal GDP reached 4,166,759.1 USD mn in Mar 2023. Its GDP deflator (implicit price deflator) increased 0.4% in Mar 2023.
• China GDP Per Capita reached 12,621.7 USD in Dec 2023.

China’s National Oil Companies (NOCs) have been increasing investments in unconventional oil and gas projects in the US and Canada since 2009. So far, China’s NOCs have made a total investment of about $12.4 billion in North America’s unconventional oil and gas projects. The investments are driven by China’s will to gain energy security amidst its increasing dependence on oil and gas imports. Besides this, Chinese companies are also striving to gain the technology needed to develop their domestic unconventional oil and gas resources. Read More