Fast forward to 2004 and today’s China trendsetters are not multinational investors at all but very agile venture capitalists, who feel confident enough to take 10% to 15% stakes in small and medium-size enterprises. Eventually, they are going to exit through listings on stock exchanges around the world.
Chinese companies are desperate for capital and, while the country’s vast savings pool is incapable of being channelled to fast-growing firms – due to lack of financial infrastructure – they will have to rely on foreign resources.