China's overseas investment in the energy/resources sector: Its scale, drivers, challenges and implications

Since 2005, China has greatly enhanced its presence in the global landscape of outward foreign direct investment (OFDI). The total volume of China's OFDI has exceeded $200 billion in the past five years. The number will further rise as China looks for outlets to spend its $3 trillion in foreign exchange reserves. China's emergence as a global direct investor entails a number of consequences, which are yet to be understood. This study seeks to shed light on how corporate China extends its reaches overseas, what are the policy drivers and who are the key decision makers, from the perspective of the energy/resources sector. The goal is to better understand how to reap the financial benefits of corporate China's marching into the global marketplace.