Networking into China by Smaller Investors

Abstract

In Chapter 7 we looked at the activities of the largest diaspora conglomerates and at the role of personal networks and transnational linkages in their ventures into China. In this chapter and the next we will explore those below the level of the tycoons, the small, medium and some of the large (but not the largest) ethnic Chinese firms that have collectively been responsible for most foreign investment in China. This chapter will explore their use of networks in general, in particular for the initial entry into China, and Chapter 9 will focus more specifically on the extent to which transnational linkages between different parts of the diaspora are involved.