Chinese investment into Europe fell to its lowest point in almost a decade last year as European countries tightened rules to stymie a slew of Chinese acquisitions.
The 22 per cent decline in investment in 2022, charted in a study by Rhodium Group, a research company, and Merics, a Berlin-based think-tank, reflects Europe’s recent moves to police the sale of assets to China after years of enthusiastically courting investment from Beijing.
The researchers found that at least 10 out of 16 investment deals pursued in 2022 by Chinese entities could not be completed in the technology and infrastructure sectors, principally because of objections raised by authorities in the UK, Germany, Italy and Denmark.