In 2022, Chinese global outbound foreign direct investment (or FDI) has fallen to an 8-year low. Accordingly, figures for Chinese investment in Europe are also down, hitting the lowest mark since 2013. This episode accompanies a new report by MERICS and Rhodium Group on Chinese FDI in Europe.

Two of its authors, Agatha Kratz, Director at Rhodium Group and leader of its research on Europe-China relations and China’s economic statecraft, and Gregor Sebastian, Analyst at MERICS, talk about the scope and distribution of Chinese FDI in Europe, the reasons for the lowest FDI figures in the last decade, and how the key role of Europe in China’s electric vehicle expansion served as a saving grace. The conversation was led by Johannes Heller-John.