DAVOS, Switzerland—Key Chinese companies are considering stepped-up investment in the U.S., particularly in infrastructure, and the White House is encouraging them to move ahead.
The prospects for fresh Chinese investment were discussed at a meeting last week between Chinese business leaders and the American and Chinese presidents during a state visit to Washington.
One of the participants, Liu Chuanzhi, chairman of Chinese computer companyLenovo Group Ltd., said in an interview Wednesday at the World Economic Forum at Davos that he was among those seeking to deepen his U.S. investment.
At the meeting, President Barack Obama and the head of China’s Investment Corp., the country’s $300 billion sovereign-wealth fund, talked about the Chinese investing in infrastructure projects in the U.S.
“The United States is open for investment and would welcome it,” Mr. Obama told the group, which included four Chinese CEOs, 14 American CEOs and Chinese President Hu Jintao.
Mr. Liu on Wednesday said Lou Jiwei, the chairman of CIC, had told Mr. Obama that he “was interested in exploring the opportunity.”
“If it’s complementary and good for both sides, why not?” said Mr. Liu, one of China’s most respected business leaders.
The talk of U.S. investments comes as waves of capital are going in the opposite direction—from developed countries like the U.S. into emerging economies like China—as companies chase higher growth rates. But Mr. Liu said Chinese companies continue to see opportunities to invest in the U.S., because it addresses Chinese companies’ need to expand abroad while furthering the U.S. goal of keeping jobs.
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