Analysis
Politics
Hungary at a Crossroads: Economic Turmoil, Internal Dissent and the Rise of Péter Magyar – QUICK TAKE
2 October 2024
19 June 2019
Chinese investments in Europe have reached dizzying heights in the last two decades. While they present appealing opportunities for economic growth in some countries, they are also pose direct threats to some of the continent’s wealthier states.
Investments in the European Union from China reached a record high of 35 billion euros in 2016, a 50-fold increase on the 700 million euros in 2008, according to Rhodium Group statistics.
Outbound foreign direct investment (FDI) from China dramatically swung towards Europe in the first half of 2018 while dropping its FDI in North America by a massive 92 per cent in the last year, from $24 billion to $2 billion, according to Baker Mackenzie.
While Chinese FDI in the 28 EU economies dropped to 30 billion euros in 2017 and further declined to 16 billion euros in 2018, it is still the fourth highest level ever recorded. This large investment comes from a keenness to embed itself within world-famous brands and technologies, many of which are in the EU.