Influencing factors and prospects of Chinese agricultural outward foreign direct investment

Against the backdrop of global economic and trade internationalization, China's outward foreign direct investment has exhibited consistent growth over the years. Notably, China has engaged in agricultural cooperation with over 100 countries, becoming the global leading donor of foreign direct investment in agriculture and the world's fifth-largest importer of agricultural products. This paper reveals the structure of Chinese agricultural outward foreign direct investment to summarize their developmental stages and influencing factors. The study utilizes relevant data on China's foreign direct investment from 2014 to 2023 to assess the investment stage and analyze the future development trends in China's agricultural trade. The research results indicate that currently, despite some decline in 2021 and 2022, China's agricultural foreign direct investment is in a stage of rapid development. It can be concluded that the levels of agricultural economic development, national policy support for agriculture, and agricultural technology have all improved. However, the structure is significantly influenced by global external factors, although the overall trend remains favorable, with significant potential for advancement. The results could also have important practical significance for further promoting the growth of the scale of agricultural foreign investment and enhancing the international competitiveness of China's agriculture.