Mark Lee, Sunway University: This paper touches on an issue that is both highly contemporary and contentious. Arguably, the coverage of geographic and, in particular, strategic factors influencing Chinese FDI in Europe cuts through the heart of many of Beijing's policy aspirations. These include the Belt Road Initiative, Made in China 2025, internationalization of the renminbi, and purported aims of weakening western unity in Europe and beyond, culminating in the broader rise of the Chinese political and economic order that will outshine liberal democracies.
Within this context, the paper comprehensively discusses various dimensions including the evolution, motivations, actors, and strategies and distribution (geographical and sectoral) of Chinese FDI across Europe. Commendably, the paper also attempts to tackle the question of whether “China is out to conquer the world” (seen within the context of China's Resource Diplomacy in Africa, sovereignty claims and advances in the South and East China Seas, etc.)....