Chinese investment in the Asia-Pacific region rose sharply in 2023, a new report shows, bucking global trends even as the world’s No. 2 economy sputters, reports Nikkei Asia. The report by Brisbane’s Griffith University and Shanghai’s Fudan University shows that Chinese investment totaled nearly $20 billion across the Asia-Pacific last year, up 37%. It also logged about $17 billion in construction contracts, partly financed by Chinese loans, marking a roughly 14% increase from 2022.
The numbers stand in sharp contrast to the 12% decline in overall foreign direct investment into the emerging economies of Asia last year, the report says. The data comes the same week the Chinese government targeted gross domestic product growth of “around 5%” for 2024, matching last year’s target, although analysts see heavy pressure on the economy from sluggish global and domestic demand, restrained manufacturing and a relentless property slump.
Much of the overseas activity was focused on countries aligned with the Belt and Road Initiative—Beijing’s drive to build a network of infrastructure stretching from Asia to Europe and beyond. Investment in non-BRI countries plunged to an all-time low of $120 million, down 90% from what was already a record low in 2022, according to data provided by Christoph Nedopil, director of the Griffith Asia Institute.