A critical appraisal of the challenges encountered and strategies adopted by multi-national corporations during the pre-WTO phase of China's economic development

Abstract

The writer's doctoral thesis has placed its emphasis on a critical appraisal of the activities encountered by multinational corporations during the last ten years of the pre-WTO phase of China. The cental argument running through all five studies is that investment in China is complex but comprehensive. Although China shows unique features, the general problems of planning and executing investment are similar to those found in any case of a firm moving across international boundaries. The individual studies complement each other, moving from the way in which Chinese government policy frames the operating environment, to the modes of analysis required of firms considering investing in China, to the more specific issues encountered by foreign firms in China, to the special problems facing Hong Kong, and finally a more abstract re-formulation of the issues of foreign investment in the Chinese context. These general arguments are well substantiated in these studies, and they serve as a useful counter to the more simplistic and enthusiastic treatments on the one hand, and the excessively pessimistic evaluations on the other. Naturally, the world did not stop just after China entered into the WTO. As it moves forward, new competitive elements have emerged and as more variables develop in response to the evolving environment the writer will be shifting his attention to the post-WTO phase of China's economic development- a challenge which could be as interesting and intriguing to pundits, entrepreneurs, governments and indeed to all players involved.

Date of Award	2002
Original language	English