Chinese Enterprises Deepen Overseas Layout in 2026
BEIJING, April 1 — Since the start of 2026, the overseas expansion model of Chinese enterprises has continued to deepen, shifting from product-oriented to a full-chain advancement involving production capacity landing, localized operation and ecological integration, reported China Securities Journal. Statistics from the Ministry of Commerce and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange show that China’s total outward direct investment reached 200.15 billion yuan in the first two months of 2026, a year-on-year increase of 7.4%.
In the new energy sector, leading enterprises have accelerated overseas factory construction in the first quarter. On January 15, CATL’s Indonesia power battery project saw the entry of equipment for its first CELL production line. Located in West Java, Indonesia, the project covers a total area of about 290,000 square meters and took only 11 months from groundbreaking to equipment entry, with an initial capacity of 6.9GWh and a planned expansion to 15GWh.
On March 12, Putailai announced plans to invest 297 million US dollars in a 50,000-ton annual lithium-ion battery anode material project in Malaysia through its wholly-owned overseas subsidiary. The project, located in Gurun Industrial Park, Kedah, is expected to be completed in 24 months and will meet the growing demand driven by the rising penetration of new energy vehicles and the booming energy storage sector.
Power equipment giant PowerChina achieved explosive growth in overseas business. In March, it signed two major contracts: a 13.962 billion yuan EPC contract for a PV-storage project in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and a 5.456 billion yuan general contracting contract for the Indonesia TMS nickel mine project. Its overseas contract value reached 40.888 billion yuan in January-February, up 19.92% year-on-year.
Chinese enterprises have also seized emerging opportunities. Driven by soaring international oil prices, the electrification of fuel motorcycles has accelerated in Southeast Asia. Wang Ye, CEO of Ninebot, told China Securities Journal that the penetration rate of two-wheeled electric vehicles in Southeast Asia is only about 5%, with huge potential. Ninebot has listed Southeast Asia as a core market, building local teams and cooperating with local partners.
A responsible person from Aima Technology’s investor relations department stated that some Southeast Asian countries have introduced incentives for electric motorcycle transition, and the company is actively expanding its independent brand distribution channels there. Tailg’s prospectus shows that the overseas market for electric light vehicles has maintained strong growth, with two-wheeled electric vehicles as the main driver.
In emerging fields such as innovative drugs, Chinese enterprises are releasing technological value through high-value cooperation. Data from the National Medical Products Administration shows that the overseas licensing transaction volume of Chinese innovative drugs exceeded 60 billion US dollars in the first quarter, nearly half of the 2025 full-year figure. Huatai Securities noted that Chinese transactions accounted for over 70% of 21 major global BD projects this year.
Sino Biopharmaceutical signed a cooperation agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim to jointly develop SIM0709, a dual-specific antibody, with potential payments of up to 1.058 billion euros. Kelun Pharmaceutical’s subsidiary Kelun-Biotech licensed its innovative drug SKB105 to Crescent Biopharma for overseas markets. These achievements reflect Chinese enterprises’ transformation from "going global" to "integrating in" and "moving up", becoming key contributors to global industrial ecology.
