New Silk Road drives Chinese FDI spike

Beijing’s ambition of reviving trade along the ancient Silk Road is rapidly opening up new markets to Chinese investors looking for opportunities away from their slowing domestic economy, according to the Financial Times. Chinese investors announced 315 greenfield investments with a combined value of $75.9bn across Belt and Road countries in the 18 months to June 2016, twice as much as in the previous 18 months, according to figures from greenfield investment monitor fDi Markets. In the same period, Chinese investment in other countries fell by nearly 29% to $36.5bn. Overall, 56% of Chinese ODI has ended up in Belt and Road countries since Mr Xi’s speech at Nazarbayev University in Astana, Kazakhstan in September 2013.