The sustainability of Chinese investment in Australia

Centre for Contemporary Chinese Studies – Special Series on Chinese Outward Investment in State-Owned Enterprises

The sustainability of Chinese investment in Australia
Professor Hans Hendrischke, University of Sydney

5.30-7.00pm Thursday 16 March, 2017
David P Derham Lecture Theatre, Law Building, 185 Pelham Street, University of Melbourne

Admission is free, but places are limited so registration is essential
Visit the Eventbrite website to register

Chinese outbound direct investment in Australia has become a political and geo-strategic issue as national interest and national security concerns compete with business interests for public support. Based on analysis of the trajectories of Chinese ODI in Australia over the past decade, including pre-investment motivations, industry characteristics, entry strategies, and post-entry integration, Professor Hans Hendrischke will argue that it is imperative to separate strategic and economic fundamentals and depoliticise the foreign investment debate. He concludes that the regulatory regime needs clarity and transparency as well as the right of government to make strategic decisions. Formal adjustments to the approval process alone will not make Chinese ODI in Australia sustainable. The crucial point is to improve host country post entry integration and Chinese investors’ corporate governance.

Hans Hendrischke is professor of Chinese business and management at the University of Sydney Business School. He leads the School¹s Australia China Business Network and chairs the Business and Economics Cluster of the University¹s China Studies Centre.
Educated at universities in Germany, Taiwan and Japan, he did his postgraduate research at the Contemporary China Institute at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He lived in China from 1979 working for the diplomatic service and in the finance industry. In his academic career he was director of the Centre for Chinese Political Economy at Macquarie University, head of school at UNSW and director of the University of Sydney Confucius Institute. As an institutional economist he works on business institutions and emerging local entrepreneurship in China and has conducted hundreds of interviews with private entrepreneurs and local officials. Together with Barbara Krug, he co-edited China’s Economy in the 21st Century: Enterprise and Business Behaviour. Professor Hendrischke leads a strategic research cooperation with KPMG which publishes annual reports on Chinese outbound direct investment in Australia and thought leadership reports on Australia China business relations. He co-authored the 2014 Australia China Trade Report for the Australia China Business Council.