The American Enterprise Institute and the Heritage Foundation’s China Global Investment Tracker follows large Chinese investments, excluding bonds, around the world.

The leading recipient of these kinds of investments is the United States, which received over $190 billion from January 2005 through December 2022. But Chinese investment in 2020-2022 barely registered. Spending should rise in 2023, but the 2017 level of $23 billion will be difficult to regain in the foreseeable future.

The deals described in the tracker are worth $95 million or more. They are voluntary transactions that let Americans make their own choices. Chinese purchases benefit Americans who hold desirable assets— ranging from large corporations to individual family homes (which are not in the tracker). China’s investment helps support a small number of American jobs.

But all Chinese enterprises, state- or private-owned, must ultimately answer to the Communist Party. The US certainly should not ban China’s investment, but restrictions are necessary. Chinese firms should not be permitted to buy advanced technology, gain access to personal data, or locate near military bases. Chinese firms that receive stolen intellectual property or otherwise break American law should be barred entirely, as should those involved in serious violations of human rights. Under these conditions, China’s investment in the US is beneficial.

Chinese investments in the United States

The American Enterprise Institute and the Heritage Foundation’s China Global Investment Tracker follows large Chinese investments, excluding bonds, around the world.

The leading recipient of these kinds of investments is the United States, which received over $190 billion from January 2005 through December 2022. But Chinese investment in 2020-2022 barely registered. Spending should rise in 2023, but the 2017 level of $23 billion will be difficult to regain in the foreseeable future.

The deals described in the tracker are worth $95 million or more. They are voluntary transactions that let Americans make their own choices. Chinese purchases benefit Americans who hold desirable assets— ranging from large corporations to individual family homes (which are not in the tracker). China’s investment helps support a small number of American jobs.

But all Chinese enterprises, state- or private-owned, must ultimately answer to the Communist Party. The US certainly should not ban China’s investment, but restrictions are necessary. Chinese firms should not be permitted to buy advanced technology, gain access to personal data, or locate near military bases. Chinese firms that receive stolen intellectual property or otherwise break American law should be barred entirely, as should those involved in serious violations of human rights. Under these conditions, China’s investment in the US is beneficial.