Investing in Innovation: Emerging Trends in China and California

The Asia Society and Bay Area Council are partnering on an initiative to look at the trends and issues in the emerging narratives around Chinese innovation and China’s rise as a significant source of foreign direct investment into the U.S. Building on both organizations’ growing portfolio of reports and dialogues on these issues, the initiative has particular relevance for California and the Bay Area, where many high-tech companies are investing in China and integrating its products and services into the Chinese market. The stakes for California and the Bay Area will also grow as the pace of Chinese acquisitions and investments into the state (and the country) increase in the coming years.

The initiative consists of a full-day conference on November 15, which will serve as the backdrop for the release of two reports: the first of which will explore China’s drive for innovation and the second report which will provide a comprehensive look at China’s investment into California. The conference will engage stakeholders in California’s large and growing community of businesses, investors, service providers across a broad range of industries (e.g. ICT, real estate, healthcare, etc.) and public sector and academic leaders eager to understand China's innovation strategy and technology trajectory, and seize on the opportunities coming from China. The conference and the reports it presents will help to paint a comprehensive story of the growing impact of China on the economies of the Bay Area, California, and the United States.

In doing so, it will explore in-depth the emerging innovation trends in China and assess how these trends will impact California’s economy and its own innovation culture, particularly in the Bay Area and Silicon Valley. The reports and conference will provide participants and readers with an update on the current levels of investment from China into the U.S., insights and assessments on America’s investment climate, and analysis into the challenges and hurdles Chinese investors face both in China and in the U.S. Its insights will provide real-world guidance for public and private sector practitioners who are seeking deeper understanding of the key trends and issues impacting both inbound and outbound investment opportunities.

About the Author (Asia Society report)

Rhodium Group (RHG) combines policy experience, quantitative economic tools and on-the-ground research to analyze disruptive global trends. Our work supports the investment management, strategic planning and policy analysis needs of clients in the financial, corporate, non-profit and government sectors. RHG has offices in New York, California and Hong Kong, and associates in Washington and New Delhi.

About the Bay Area Council Economic Institute

Since 1990, the Bay Area Council Economic Institute has been the leading think tank focused on the economic and policy issues facing the San Francisco/Silicon Valley Bay Area, one of the most dynamic regions in the United States and the world’s leading center for technology and innovation. A valued forum for stakeholder engagement and a respected source of information and fact-based analysis, the Institute is a trusted partner and adviser to both business leaders and government officials.

DOWNLOAD THE REPORT 
CHINESE DIRECT INVESTMENT IN CALIFORNIA: 2017 UPDATE
Full Report (PDF, 4 MB)