As China’s companies become industry leaders, where in the world are they going?

With their domestic profits narrowing and production capacity expanding, China’s firms are continuing to widen their overseas footprints in search of new, more lucrative markets. In this series, we examine China Inc.’s next phase of “going global” and the complex, challenging international environment its companies have chosen to enter.\nThe “Made in China” label has evolved considerably in recent decades. Mostly found affixed to low-cost goods of relative simplicity in China’s early years as a manufacturing powerhouse, it can now be seen on a multitude of sophisticated, high-value products from an array of companies that have become formidable competitors to some of the world’s wealthiest multinational firms.\nBetween 2001 – when China joined the World Trade Organization after 15 years of negotiations – and 2024, the country’s value-added share of global manufacturing rocketed from 11 per cent to 33 per cent, with a hand in the production of goods across most of the world’s supply chains.\nIn this explainer, the Post examines the current global footprint of China Inc. as the country’s companies seek leadership roles – or have already taken them – in numerous industries, including the highly complex and technologically advanced sectors of tomorrow.\nIn the driver’s seat\nChina’s carmakers, particularly those producing electric and hybrid vehicles, have entered a new phase of global expansion.\nTo date, eight out of the country’s 10 largest carmakers have announced overseas investment plans this year – including factories – spanning at least 15 countries, according to calculations made by the Post.\nEurope has emerged as a major arena in this global drive. BYD, China’s largest producer of electric vehicles (EVs), has confirmed plans to establish its European headquarters and a passenger car factory in Hungary. The company is also reportedly considering Spain as the leading candidate for its third European plant.\nSoutheast Asia, with its vast consumer base and high adoption rate for new-energy vehicles, has also become a magnet for Chinese car manufacturers.\nAccording to a survey by Chinese technology and financial news outlet 36Kr, the region had the highest penetration rate of Chinese car brands worldwide, standing at 25.82 per cent, compared with just 0.85 per cent in North America.\n\n\nAmong the 11 countries in the region, Vietnam and Thailand have attracted the most investment this year. Geely signed a joint-venture agreement in Vietnam to build an assembly plant, while Chery Automobile broke ground in May on a US$319 million factory project. In Thailand, BYD’s local plant began exporting its first batch of 959 Dolphin EVs to Europe in August.\nFurther afield, Brazil – Latin America’s most populous country and its largest economy – has emerged as the top destination for Chinese automotive investment. BYD recently inaugurated its car manufacturing base there, the company’s largest EV plant outside Asia. GAC Motor has also announced plans to establish a local factory by the end of 2026.\nTwo other Chinese carmakers have followed suit. In August, Great Wall Motors started its first vehicle manufacturing plant building in Latin America, while Geely Automobile has previously unveiled plans for additional investment in the country.\nPowering up\nNew energy and energy storage are other fields in which Chinese companies have made a sizeable foothold overseas. This year, at least five battery makers and six photovoltaics (PV) firms have announced investments in 14 countries.\nSoutheast Asia stands out as the brightest spot in China’s new-energy investment map. Indonesia has drawn the largest share, with battery giant CATL and solar manufacturers Longi and Trina Solar all announcing projects in the country this year.\nMalaysia has also attracted attention, securing commitments from two Chinese solar firms: Eve Energy and GCL Systems. Thailand has likewise locked in factory investments from Chinese photovoltaic producers.\nAround 19 publicly listed Chinese photovoltaic companies, including CATL, have so far established 24 production sites across four Southeast Asian countries, according to a May report by industry news outlet Solarbe.\nEurope has emerged as another destination for Chinese clean-energy capital. Hungary, already a hub for EV battery production, has announced investment and plant construction plans from Eve and CATL. The latter company has also broken ground on a battery plant in Spain, expected to begin operations in late 2026.\nMeanwhile, PV manufacturer Das Solar has announced plans to build its first overseas factory in France. Other European countries – including Slovakia, Portugal and Germany – have also welcomed new projects from Chinese new-energy companies this year.\n\n\n\n\nAdd to cart\nChina’s online retail platforms – some of which are among the world’s largest – are accelerating the development of their warehouse and logistics networks, with nodes across Europe, the Middle East, the US and Southeast Asia.\nFast-fashion giant Shein announced plans this year to lease a large warehouse in Vietnam to support both its domestic operations and export logistics.\nThe company has already established overseas warehouses in the US, Belgium, Spain, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, India, Saudi Arabia and Italy.\nIn November, Shein opened its first-ever physical outlet at the BHV Le Marais department store in Paris, following explosive online sales that reached tens of millions of users across Europe.\nAnother major player, Temu, has deepened its logistics presence through a new partnership with Turkey’s Horoz Logistics. According to a 2025 report by Forest Shipping, Temu’s localised warehousing services now cover Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy and Austria.\nAliExpress – an online retailer under the Alibaba Group, owner of the South China Morning Post – has also expanded aggressively, establishing overseas fulfilment centres in 30 countries as of September, according to the Chinese outlet 36Kr.\nChinese consumer brands – spanning food and drink chains, toy IPs, lifestyle retailers and food-delivery platforms – are also rapidly expanding across the Americas and Southeast Asia.\nLifestyle retailer Miniso, known for its playful design collaborations, was among the early movers. Since opening its first US store in Pasadena, California, in 2017, the brand’s presence in the country has grown to more than 200 locations.\nIts success helped pave the way for others. In 2024, Pop Mart captured global attention with its wildly popular Labubu figures and other toys, and now operates around 40 stores across the US, signalling the rise of Chinese pop culture on foreign shelves.\n\n\nAt the same time, Chinese drink brands are taking bold steps into Southeast Asia. Tea and coffee chains such as Mixue, Heytea and Luckin Coffee are expanding rapidly, drawn by the region’s 700 million strong consumer base and a market far less saturated than that of their homeland.\nBy the end of 2024, roughly 60 Chinese restaurant brands had opened more than 6,100 outlets across Southeast Asia – more than triple the 1,800 stores recorded in 2022, according to Singapore-based consultancy Momentum Works.\nChina’s tech-driven service platforms have also made forays abroad. Food-delivery giant Meituan has launched its offshore brand Keeta in the outskirts of Sao Paulo, pledging to invest US$1.1 billion in its Brazilian operations over the next five years. It has already set up shop in Hong Kong and the Middle East.\nMeanwhile, ride-hailing firm Didi Chuxing plans to double its investment in the South American country to US$37.7 million by 2026, expanding its food-delivery arm, 99Food, through temporary fee cuts aimed at attracting partner restaurants.\nPress play\nBeyond more tangible goods, China’s digital platforms are attracting a global audience – including in the US, where TikTok has become a cultural phenomenon among younger generations.\nAnother breakout hit is ReelShort, a platform launched by Crazy Maple Studio in Silicon Valley, a company backed in part by Beijing-based digital publisher COL Group. With a line-up of “vertical dramas” – series with ultra-short episodes and heightened storylines – it has drawn over 55 million monthly active users and climbed to the top three on the entertainment chart of Apple’s US App Store in November.\nNow, ReelShort is taking its formula global. In Latin America, the company has partnered with Colombia’s Caracol Television to license content and produce original Spanish-language dramas in its signature style – a move aimed at capturing one of the world’s fastest-growing digital audiences.\n