Systematic review of data
Even if a systematic review of data concerning Chinese
FDI in Germany proves difficult due to varying collec-
tion methods and priorities in existing statistics, the pre-
vious analysis does reveal certain trends.
Certainly, Chinese investment in Germany has been on the rise in recent
years. However, its growth rate has varied fromyear to year
and continues to fluctuate. This is partly because the Chi –
nese were recently still at a relatively lowlevel of invest-
ment, making the annual jumps in percentage terms
seem more dramatic than they would be if their previous invest-
ment volume had been higher. Compared to Germany’ s
main investors, China still plays a subordinate role. Other
EU member states continue to be the top-ranking sources
of FDI stock in Germany. The largest Asian investor in
Germany is Japan. Contrary to the perception suggested
in the media, there are more Chinese investors setting up
greenfield projects than those seeking M&A transactions
in the German market.
Chinese investment in Germany has
focused mainly on machine tools, the automotive indus-
try, and environmental technology, with the pharmaceu-
tical and healthcare industries gaining in importance since
2015.
Chinese companies investing in Germany make a pos-
itive contribution to the employment situation in Germany.
They also reduce the quantitative asymmetry in the invest-
ment relations between the two countries.
EU Forecast
euf:ba1.8i:49/nws-01