Outbound M&A bounces back in Q2

BEIJING - China's outbound mergers and acquisitions rebounded in the second quarter of this year with deal value increasing 148 percent quarter on quarter, according to an industrial report. Chinese investors returned to the deal table in the April-June period after a lukewarm first quarter and were the second most acquisitive cross-border nation by value with 94 deals totaling at $35.9 billion, according to international law firm Baker McKenzie's Cross-Border M&A Index.

The industrial sector continues to outrank other sectors in terms of China outbound M&A deal volume while the consumer and technology sectors also saw significant amounts of outbound investment from China, the report showed.

China's inbound M&A activities continued its upward trajectory, seeing a 29-percent rise in volume to 62 deals and a 69-percent rise in value to $13.2 billion from Q1 of 2017.

A significant portion, 66 percent, of the inbound investment value this quarter went to the technology sector, particularly the e-commerce and software companies, the report pointed out.

"It is no surprise that the technology sector is attracting a significant portion of the inbound investment. China is already home to a number of leading global digital and internet companies. It is likely that it will continue to attract investment and know-how to further develop its high-tech industries," said Tracy Wut, M&A partner at Baker McKenzie's Hong Kong office.

Wut also predicted a rise in cross-border M&A activities led by Chinese companies in Belt and Road Initiative countries and regions.

The industrial, consumer, service and technology sectors will most likely be the focus for Chinese investors, partly reflecting China's ongoing economic transformation from being an export and low-end manufacturing-led economy to a consumer-driven and service-oriented nation, Wut added.

Xinhua