Germany is an attractive target for foreign direct investments (FDI) from China. In particular, so-called "hidden champions" – companies that are not well-known to the public but due to their technological know-how are of great interest to international investors – are the focus of purchasers from the Far East. In 2014, 1.4 billion US dollar flowed from the Middle Kingdom to Germany (1.2 percent of total Chinese FDI). This meant that Germany was the third largest recipient country of Chinese investment in the EU (1st Luxembourg; 2nd United Kingdom). Although the 2015 figures show a temporary decline, with Chinese direct investment of only 409.6 million US dollar, 2016 appears to be another record year. According to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, Chinese investments here in Germany between January and July 2016 have increased by 200 percent compared with the previous year.
Access to the German and European market, qualified workers, the acquisition of technology and the quality guarantee "Made in Germany" are important reasons for Chinese investments. As a highly developed country that has many companies with key technologies, Germany is also a focus of the so-called "Going Global Strategy" which was launched by the Chinese government in 2000 and promotes the FDI of Chinese businesses. At the same time critics argue that there is a possibility that this could lead to copycat technology or even industrial espionage.