Conflicts over Property and State Responses to the Internationalization of Chinese Companies in the US and the EU

Building upon research from the initial funding phase, this project shifts the focus from exploring the causes of new state activities to emphasizing their effects on Chinese-owned entities. The foundational assumption is that the "new statism" observed in the USA and EU primarily targets Chinese state-owned enterprises and those holding strategic stakes in high technology sectors. However, these measures affect the international strategies of Chinese corporations differently: There are indications of significant scaling-back of corporate networks in the USA ("decoupling"), while the same firms appear to be merely adapting their strategies within the EU market (e.g., shifting business areas).

Central to the analysis is a comparison of company-related property conflicts in the USA and EU, the property-oriented state responses in industrial and foreign economic policies concerning the internationalization of Chinese companies, and the resulting strategic adjustments these firms undertake in both markets. The project employs a mixed-methods design: First, a comparative analysis of state responses in the USA and EU will be conducted. Subsequently, the SinoTop500 dataset, established during the first funding phase (detailing ownership structures of the largest Chinese companies), will be expanded to include data reflecting the impacts of these property-related state measures and analyzed using descriptive statistical methods. Finally, this quantitative analysis will be deepened by qualitative case studies examining the changing strategies of selected Chinese enterprises in the USA and EU.