More on China's FDI

This is a follow up to the 28 February post below on Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI).  Titled "Outward FDI from China and Its Policy Context, 2012" by Ken Davies, it appeared on the Vale Columbia Center on Sustainable International Investment website. 

Drawing on official Chinese statistics, it notes that China's cumulative non-financial FDI in Africa as of 2010 was $13 billion out of a global total of $317 billion.  The study contains some of the same caveats as the previous studies.  Davies says it is difficult to build a reliable picture of the geographical distribution of China's FDI stocks from official statistics because much of it is routed via Hong Kong, the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands.  While Davies believes Chinese statistics capture most state-owned company FDI, he suggests that non-state entities may find it easier to evade the approval process by using funds accumulated overseas, thus underestimating their total FDI.