Arkansas noted in Chinese investment report

Arkansas is mentioned in a new report about Chinese investment in the United States. It’s the first time in seven years of the report that specific states were mentioned for efforts to recruit investment from China.

The China Daily USA recently published “Chinese Enterprises in the United States,” a book that focuses on some of the top Chinese companies investing in the U.S. across a wide range of industries. The book was jointly launched by China Daily USA and China General Chamber of Commerce – USA (CGCC), the main organization representing Chinese companies in the U.S.

“In the new edition, governors from Alaska, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan and Nebraska, commerce secretaries from Indiana and Maryland, top officials of economic development agencies in Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Maine, North Carolina, Ohio and South Carolina, as well as mayors of Cincinnati and Santa Fe, N.M., tell of their efforts and successes in attracting Chinese investment and make their case for further investments from Chinese investors,” noted a press release about the book.

Chinese investment began to emerge in the U.S. in 2007 and 2008, and grew to peak in 2016 with investments valued at $46 billion, according to Rhodium Group, a New York-based research firm that follows Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI). Rhodium’s data show that more than 3,400 Chinese-owned operations in 46 U.S. states at the end of 2017 employed more than 140,000 people.

However, Chinese investment in the U.S. declined in 2017 and 2018 with new investment falling by nearly 90%, according to Rhodium. The decline was due in large part to the U.S. government’s increased scrutiny and tightened regulations on Chinese FDI and the Chinese government’s adjustment of its outbound investment policy.