IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/plo/pone00/0326970.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Motives of Chinese foreign direct investment in Africa: With regulation effects of institutional quality

Author

Listed:
  • Lilin Yuan
  • Peng Ji

Abstract

This article analyzes the motives of Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI) in Africa and the impact of the institutional quality of the host country for the period between 2003 and 2022 from both static and dynamic perspectives by using the OLS, PPML, and GMM methods. The results show that: China has obvious market-, and efficiency-seeking motives, but weak resource- and strategic asset-seeking motives. There is a tipping point for market- and efficiency-seeking motives. Good institutional quality of the host country (region) facilitates FDI expansion. Investment inertia and factor endowments affect long-term FDI. We also examine the moderating effects of institutional quality and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and found that: the host country’s (region’s) institutional environment optimization makes market size more attractive and labor costs less attractive. The BRI itself has no obvious influence on Chinese investment in Africa, while the impact of market size and labor costs became more significant after 2013. Hence, when selecting investment locations, Chinese enterprises should prioritize the host country’s (region’s) market size, labor costs, and institutional quality. Additionally, they should utilize the moderating effect of institutional quality to mitigate the disadvantages associated with higher labor costs.

Suggested Citation

  • Lilin Yuan & Peng Ji, 2025. "Motives of Chinese foreign direct investment in Africa: With regulation effects of institutional quality," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 20(6), pages 1-17, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0326970
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0326970
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0326970
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0326970&type=printable
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1371/journal.pone.0326970?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Uwaoma G. Nwaogu & Michael Ryan, 2014. "Spatial Interdependence in US Outward FDI into Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(9), pages 1267-1289, September.
    2. Yin‐Wong Cheung & Xingwang Qian, 2009. "Empirics Of China'S Outward Direct Investment," Pacific Economic Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 14(3), pages 312-341, August.
    3. Peter J. Buckley, 2008. "Do we need a special theory of foreign direct investment for extractive industries?," Journal of Chinese Economic and Foreign Trade Studies, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 1(2), pages 93-104, June.
    4. Amar Anwar & Ichiro Iwasaki & Utz Dornberger, 2022. "Investment Motives in Africa: What Does the Meta-Analytic Review Tell?," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 31(1), pages 1-52.
    5. John C. Anyanwu & Nadege D. Yameogo, 2015. "What Drives Foreign Direct Investments into West Africa? An Empirical Investigation," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 27(3), pages 199-215, September.
    6. Peter J. Buckley, 2008. "Do we need a special theory of foreign direct investment for extractive industries?," Journal of Chinese Economic and Foreign Trade Studies, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 1(2), pages 93-104, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Lisha He & Ronghao Jiang & Mia M. Bennett, 2020. "The rise of Chinese foreign direct investment in the United States: Disentangling investment strategies of state‐owned and private enterprises," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(4), pages 1562-1587, December.
    2. Namountougou, Yentéma, 2024. "Spillover effects of natural resources on the attractiveness of foreign direct investment in ECOWAS countries," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    3. Akhtaruzzaman, Muhammad & Berg, Nathan & Lien, Donald, 2017. "Confucius Institutes and FDI flows from China to Africa," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 241-252.
    4. Njangang Henri & Nembot Ndeffo Luc & Nawo Larissa, 2019. "The Long‐run and Short‐run Effects of Foreign Direct Investment on Financial Development in African Countries," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 31(2), pages 216-229, June.
    5. Zhang, Wenyue & Sun, Chuanwang, 2024. "Do multinational enterprises’ overseas investment activities promote their green transition performance? Evidence from Chinese listed companies," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 594-608.
    6. Yin‐Wong Cheung & XingWang Qian, 2010. "Capital Flight: China's Experience," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 14(2), pages 227-247, May.
    7. Tii N. Nchofoung & Simplice A. Asongu & Arsène A. Njamen Kengdo & Elvis D. Achuo, 2022. "Linear and non‐linear effects of infrastructures on inclusive human development in Africa," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 34(1), pages 81-96, March.
    8. Bastian Gawellek & Jingjing Lyu & Bernd Süssmuth, 2016. "Did Chinese Outward Activity Attenuate or Aggravate the Great Recession in Developing Countries?," CESifo Working Paper Series 5735, CESifo.
    9. Alessia Amighini & Claudio Cozza & Elisa Giuliani & Roberta Rabellotti & Vittoria Scalera, 2015. "Multinational enterprises from emerging economies: what theories suggest, what evidence shows. A literature review," Economia e Politica Industriale: Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, Springer;Associazione Amici di Economia e Politica Industriale, vol. 42(3), pages 343-370, September.
    10. Saleh, Ali Salman & Anh Nguyen, Thi Lan & Vinen, Denis & Safari, Arsalan, 2017. "A new theoretical framework to assess Multinational Corporations’ motivation for Foreign Direct Investment: A case study on Vietnamese service industries," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 630-644.
    11. Shuyuan Jiang & Dan Cheng, 2017. "The Impact of Outward FDI on the Upgrading of China¡¯s Manufacturing Industry Structure: A Literature Review," International Journal of Economics and Finance, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 9(6), pages 154-161, June.
    12. Yao, Shujie & Wang, Pan, 2014. "Has China displaced the outward investments of OECD countries?," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 55-71.
    13. Leonard K. Cheng & Zihui Ma, 2010. "China's Outward Foreign Direct Investment," NBER Chapters, in: China's Growing Role in World Trade, pages 545-578, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    14. Liu, Yuli & Ge, Yuejing & Hu, Zhiding & Wang, Shufang, 2018. "Culture and capital flows—Exploring the spatial differentiation of China's OFDI," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 27-45.
    15. Amir Iqbal & Xuan Tang & Samma Faiz Rasool, 2023. "Investigating the nexus between CO2 emissions, renewable energy consumption, FDI, exports and economic growth: evidence from BRICS countries," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(3), pages 2234-2263, March.
    16. Andrés Rodríguez-Pose & Gilles Cols, 2017. "The determinants of foreign direct investment in sub-Saharan Africa: What role for governance?," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 9(2), pages 63-81, June.
    17. Yi-Cheng Liu & Wen Yang & Hsu, Wen-Jen, 2020. "What do we know about Korean Outward Foreign Direct Investment? Applying Spatial Models," Asian Journal of Economic Modelling, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 8(3), pages 204-217, September.
    18. Mohd IRSHAD & Syed Hasan QAYED, 2022. "Casual nexus between economic growth, FDI and employment: An inquiry into BRICS and ASEAN," Theoretical and Applied Economics, Asociatia Generala a Economistilor din Romania / Editura Economica, vol. 0(2(631), S), pages 107-124, Summer.
    19. Brahim Bergougui & Syed Mansoob Murshed, 2023. "A sectoral analysis of institutional quality and foreign direct investment in Mena countries: does sector type matter?," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 159(4), pages 987-1012, November.
    20. Sloboda, Brian W. & Sissoko, Yaya, . "Determinants of Economic Growth in ECOWAS Countries: An Empirical Investigation," African Journal of Economic Review, African Journal of Economic Review, vol. 8(2).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0326970. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: plosone (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.