Foreign business exposure, policy uncertainty, and investment allocation decisions of Chinese multinational corporations

Xiaoxue Hu and Dongxu Li

Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, 2025, vol. 89, issue C

Abstract: Using unique subsidiary-level data of 3863 Chinese non-financial firms from 2000 to 2019, we document that the multinational firms have 5.3 % higher capital expenditures than domestic firms, relative to the average. After decomposing firms' investment into domestic and offshore investment, we find that the increased capital expenditure of multinational firms results from their offshore investment allocation in response to policy uncertainty in the domestic market. Our analysis suggests that, in the face of domestic uncertainty, multinational firms switch to their offshore markets as a means to reallocate investment, rather than in response to offshore investment opportunities, access to foreign capital, or domestic competition. Overall, this paper helps us better understand the real options theory in the context of international business.

Keywords: Multinational corporations (MNC); Investment allocation; Risk avoidance; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:pacfin:v:89:y:2025:i:c:s0927538x2400338x

DOI: 10.1016/j.pacfin.2024.102586

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