New opportunities for German firms through Chinese
investments
In recent years, a number of Chinese companies have either
bought German firms outright or acquired a shareholding in them. This
investment activity is being driven by a desire to gain access to
state-of-the-art technology. But contrary to initial expectations, most of the
new owners are not interested in draining their newly acquired companies of
knowledge. Instead, we are seeing productive collaboration in research and
development. This was what Technische Universität München (TUM) and the Munich
Innovation Group discovered in their recent collaborative study. Chinese
companies are looking at these investments as a way to expand their product
portfolios, strengthen their position in China, and gain a lasting foothold in Europe.