By now it is no longer Europe that looks to China as a country rich in opportunities to be exploited through direct investments, but it is China that invests in the old continent. The penetration strategy in Europe is diversified: similar to that which occurs in Africa for the least advanced countries; aimed at carrying out acquisitions and joint ventures in order to obtain know-how, have access to technologies, develop managerial skills and acquire important brands in core countries.
Turkey, Poland, Moldova and almost all the countries of Central and Eastern Europe are the main bridgeheads for Chinese development in the new Europe, with the support of the usual public financial institutions and banks of the PRC. Attention is paid to the development of national infrastructures and above all to the ports, which allow China access to the Mediterranean, essential for the development of its trade in the European area.
In the heart of Europe, alongside substantial support for countries in difficulty (especially Greece and Portugal), Chinese companies and financial institutions are concentrating on acquiring important companies and participating in infrastructural development. With an eye to the euro: "the euro and the European financial markets are and will be one of the most important investment sectors for Chinese foreign currency reserves" the country's authorities continue to repeat. With this they want to reiterate, it is understood, that for them the future world currency will have three points of reference: dollar, euro and yuan.
The attached article, written in collaboration with Jasmine Zahalka, analyzes the various aspects of this complex Chinese strategy in the old continent.
Attachments: China_in_Europe_-_reinventing_the_silk_road.pdf
