January 25, 2019
An international survey released on Tuesday revealed that the global public generally holds positive views about Chinese companies for overseas development, as they were becoming a major innovative force in the world.
The report “New Perceptions of China Going Global” by advisory firm Brunswick is based on the survey of 18 countries where Chinese companies have significant investments or plans, along with interviews of 300 senior Chinese executives at companies that have expanded internationally or are planning to do so.
The survey was carried out from last October to November in countries including the United States, Britain, Germany, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Nigeria, Kenya, Kazakhstan and Hungary.
According to the report, Chinese business leaders saw international expansion as a pillar of their sustained growth.
It stated that while they viewed an opportunity for growing sales in the domestic market, they were also increasingly looking further afield, with nearly 49 percent reporting that exports and sales outside of China have become much more important in the past year.
Innovation was perceived to be Chinese companies’ strong suit and around 46 percent of respondents said Chinese companies were better than most at innovation, and 82 percent said their country benefited from advancements created by innovative Chinese companies.
Among the overseas interviewees, 74 percent have a positive opinion about Chinese companies, and 32 percent said they were “very favourable” for them. Interviewees from countries along China’s Belt and Road Initiative have the most positive view of Chinese companies.
The report noted that 71 percent of respondents said their country has a fair trading relationship with China, and 83 percent of respondents said Chinese companies’ investment in local businesses is positive for communities.
Meanwhile, the survey also found that there was less trust for Chinese companies among respondents who have seen “nothing” or “only a little” on China over the past year. Around 83 percent of those who have received “a lot” of information said they are favourable and trust Chinese companies.
The report said Chinese companies have great opportunities for international investment and they also need to improve how they explain to the world who they are, how they operate and their commercial goals in order to build greater trust and credibility.