Opportunities and Challenges for Multinational Enterprises and Foreign Direct Investment in the Belt and Road Initiative

Bringing together a collection of chapters on China's Belt and Road Initiative (hereafter, BRI), this book offers a comprehensive overview of the topic from a business and economics perspective. With contributions from scholars it provides theoretical and empirical analysis of the opportunities and challenges facing multinational enterprises and their foreign direct investment activities abroad in relation to BRI. Additionally, the contributors cover such key areas including economics and international business, international trade, global value chains, environmental issues and international business policy, creating a useful tool for academics, as well as policy-makers and practitioners in China and other countries along the new Silk Road. The implementation of BRI is establishing significant connectivity networks, including aviation e-service network and trade network systems, and fostering connectivity in other various areas. The initiative has promoted economic and financial development of the countries along the route in terms of infrastructure construction, connectivity, and capital flow of foreign direct investments. Multinational enterprises have a significant role to play, and it is affected by many factors, including social trust and economic freedom, financial competitiveness, and trade openness. The interconnection across the countries has brought about economic impacts between China and the countries along BRI. Given the ongoing US-China trade war and international relations, this topic gains even more interest. Therefore, it is important to assess the costs and benefits of BRI regarding international business activities of foreign companies, including the environmental impact of BRI to mitigate climate change, but equally importantly it is to evaluate the opportunities and challenges facing multinational companies and global value chains. This book will make a valuable contribution to international business studies and provide an overall overview on the topics of international trade and investment and sustainable development within BRI through changes in investment scale and efficiency. This edited volume will interest scholars, researchers, and students in the fields of international business studies, globalization, economics, political science, and Chinese politics.