China’s overseas investment hits record US$214 billion. Why are US-bound flows plunging?

China’s outbound direct investment reached a record high of US$214 billion last year, even as investment in the United States plunged to its lowest level in more than a decade amid growing geopolitical and regulatory uncertainty, latest official data showed.

Outbound direct investment was up 11. 1 per cent in 2025 compared to the previous year, making China the world’s second-largest source of global capital, behind…