Deloitte SEA Chinese Services Group Facilitates Chinese Investments in ASEAN

Published: 12 January 2017

Deloitte Southeast Asia Chinese Services Group (CSG) hosted its 4th CSG Leaders Meeting in Kuala Lumpur. The Deloitte CSG includes bilingual Deloitte professionals with vast experience to advise and assist companies which engage in cross-border investments and businesses with China. The focus of this year’s meeting was to foster better business cooperation and facilitates Chinese investments in ASEAN. It also underscores the role Deloitte can proactively play in reaching out to Chinese investors to ASEAN or Southeast Asia (SEA) countries and how Deloitte’s professionals can provide strategic investment and business guidance for local businesses.

According to a recent Deloitte survey, titled “Internationalization of China’s SOE and the OBOR Initiative” of 54 state-owned enterprises (SOEs), SEA is the most popular investment destination for Chinese companies. SEA’s geographic advantage with its rich natural resources, a population of 630 million and with significant economic growth potential, has made SEA one of the most attractive and active regions for Chinese investors, said Dr. Ernest Kan, Deloitte Southeast Asia Chinese Services Group Leader.

Malaysia provides the right window for investments in SEA for Chinese investors, considering Malaysia’s long standing economic and social connection with China. The country is set to play an important role in China’s "One Belt, One Road" initiative, added Dr. Kan.

The diversity and differences in SEA countries allows each country to complement each other, leading to China’s overseas direct investments flowing into a variety of industries, such as real estate and infrastructure in Malaysia, manufacturing in Thailand and financial services in Singapore. Since 2011, China’s outbound investment flow and stock to SEA countries have grown at Compound Annual Growth Rates (CAGRs) of 27% and 31%, respectively. If every country is able to have a positive approach towards the “One Belt, One Road” initiative, it will definitely lead to positive outcomes for the whole region, said Rosa Yang, Chairman of Deloitte’s Global Chinese Services Group.

Yee Wing Peng, Deloitte Malaysia Chinese Services Group Leader, announced that foreign investments not only accelerate economic growth but significantly create new opportunities and contribute to talent development through the transfer of knowledge and the creation of new talent pipelines.

It is the right time for SEA to work together with the right people to tap into the opportunities, added Yee.

Included in the agenda were panel discussions attended by Malaysian business leaders and finance professionals. Deloitte’s senior professionals provided an analysis of Chinese investments in major markets in SEA and shared insights on trends and the recent focus of Chinese investors. The panel also discussed the implications and benefits of these investments in Southeast Asia as a whole.

“Chinese investors now are looking at quality investments due to recent developments. Deloitte advises Chinese companies to identify suitable projects in SEA, that help both the investor and investee to navigate through different cultural and business complexities to facilitate successful ventures,” said Yang.