Title: Chinese firms in developed and developing countries: the alignment of foreign direct investment motives with staffing practices

Authors: Cuiling Jiang; Dorra Yahiaoui; Chi Zhang

Addresses: Kedge Business School, Talence, Marseille, France ' Kedge Business School, Talence, Marseille, France ' Kedge Business School, Talence, Marseille, France

Abstract: This study aims to investigate what motivates Chinese firms to expand their business abroad and how these firms align investment motives with their staffing practices in developed and developing countries. Through in-depth interviews with Chinese expatriate managers and host country managers in 21 overseas Chinese firms, our findings show that responding to China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), improving China's international reputation, benefitting from host country investment environment, and targeting host country Chinese investors, are the main investment motives to engage Chinese firms in internationalisation. To support these internationalisation motives, Chinese firms show instrumental, cognitive and moral focuses in their international staffing practices. For developed countries, Chinese firms prefer human resource management localisation, whereas for developing countries, Chinese firms staff their management positions mainly with expatriates.

Keywords: BRI; belt and road initiative; China; developed countries; developing countries; FDI; foreign direct investment; motives; staffing practices.

DOI: 10.1504/EJIM.2026.154248

European Journal of International Management, 2026 Vol.29 No.3, pp.381 - 401

Received: 17 Jun 2020
Accepted: 17 Mar 2021
Published online: 18 Jun 2026 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article