Pulling the Breaks – Regulating Chinese FDI in the EU

Last year alone Chinese investors spent more than the last 10 years combined on acquisitions and FDI in Europe. Europe is now the principal recipient of Chinese FDI and receives double the amount that the United States receives.

For many observers, this investment surge has given rise to concerns regarding the lack of protection for intellectual property rights and excessive government interference in China’s economy. They argue that the EU should adopt a more a stringent FDI screening process.

This morning, the EU Commission announced that they, “are not naive supporters of free exchange” and will introduce a new framework for FDI screening. To coincide with this, ISDP is planning a panel discussion on the 29th of September to discuss and debate how these new FDI regulations might function, if they are necessary and who are the winners and losers from them.

Panelists:

• Bruno Maçães, Senior Adviser, Flint Global; former Minister for Europe in the Portuguese government

• Angela Stanzel, Policy Fellow and editor of China Analysis at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR)
• Carolina Dackö, Specialist Counsel, Mannheimer Swartling