????春節(jié)是中國人闔家團圓、把酒言歡的傳統(tǒng)佳節(jié)。為什么我獨獨不喜歡它呢？

????每年這個時候，照理我都該回到我的祖國——中國，和家人團聚，走親訪友，共賀新春。但這段本該放松的假期總是排滿了各類“業(yè)務咨詢”，包括在美國置辦物業(yè)或開設銷售處等。

????20世紀90年代時，我兄弟管理著華中一家不景氣的國營企業(yè)，每到春節(jié)他就忙著給我介紹他的企業(yè)家朋友。在奢華的宴席上，這些企業(yè)家們總是在問我，怎樣才能讓美國企業(yè)或有錢人投資中國項目？這些項目從醫(yī)療設備、高爾夫球場、烹飪用具，到軟飲料不一而足。

????但時過境遷，近年來隨著中國經(jīng)濟崛起，他們的問題已變成了美國有哪些投資機會。

????中國的對外直接投資（ODI）正在快速增長，盡管發(fā)達國家ODI整體呈現(xiàn)下滑的趨勢。2010年，中國以680億美元的對外直接投資額位居全球第五，超過了日本（560億美元）和英國（110億美元）等傳統(tǒng)的對外投資大國。中國商務部部長陳德銘預計，中國的對外直接投資將保持30%的年增幅，三年內(nèi)超過中國吸收的外商直接投資。

????與此同時，中國對外直接投資的國企和私企比例也在發(fā)生變化。五年前，中國政府開始逐步放寬對對外直接投資的限制，很多大中型私營企業(yè)也加入了走出去這一行列。2011年，中國最大的500家私營企業(yè)中有154家進行了海外投資，占中國對外投資總額的11%左右。

????現(xiàn)金充裕的中國企業(yè)預計2012年龍年將是另一個投資大年，他們看好美國和歐盟廉價的企業(yè)資產(chǎn)。“我們希望我們的擴張就像一條飛龍，穩(wěn)穩(wěn)地落在外國的土地上，”上海一位企業(yè)家俏皮地說道。

無奈出走

????中國國有企業(yè)的海外擴張是為了獲得中國長期發(fā)展所需的原材料、先進技術(shù)和管理技能，但是中國私營企業(yè)在美擴張的目的卻是五花八門。有些是想在美國國內(nèi)銷售產(chǎn)品，或設立職能部門，向其他國家再出口。有些是想獲得新技術(shù)，提高生產(chǎn)率。一些志存高遠的服裝、玩具及汽車生產(chǎn)商則希望在海外創(chuàng)立自己的獨立品牌。

????The Chinese New Year is a time of family reunion and feasting. So why do I loathe it?

????I'm expected to return to my native China to visit family and friends and celebrate the holiday. These supposedly fun vacations are normally packed with "business consultation" meetings about buying properties or setting up sales offices in the U.S.

????In the 1990s, my brother, who headed an ailing state enterprise in central China, would introduce me to his entrepreneurial friends. Over sumptuous meals, they bombarded me with questions about how to get American businesses or wealthy individuals to invest in Chinese ventures, from medical equipment and golf courses to cooking utensils and soft drinks.

????But that's all changed. In recent years, as China's economy boomed, their questions have switched from seeking American investment in China to looking for opportunities to invest in America.

????China's outward direct investment (ODI) is growing fast, despite an overall decline in the developed world. In 2010, China ranked fifth in outward investment with $68 billion, surpassing traditional investment giants such as Japan ($56 billion) and the United Kingdom ($11 billion). Chen Deming, China's Minister of Commerce, predicts that China's ODI will grow by 30% annually and outpace its inward investments from other countries within three years.

????And the mix of public and private investment from China has begun to shift. Since the government began to gradually ease its ODI restrictions five years ago, many large and medium-sized, privately owned companies have joined the race. Among the top 500 private enterprises in China, 154 invested overseas in 2011, making up about 11% of China's total outward investment.

????The cash-rich Chinese businesses expect 2012, the year of the dragon, to be another big year and they are eyeing cheap targets in the U.S. and the European Union. "We hope our expansion will be like a flying dragon that lands solidly on foreign soil," quipped a Shanghai-based entrepreneur.

Pushed out by China

????While state-run enterprises want access to raw materials, advanced technology and managerial skills to meet China's long-term development needs, private companies have different motives for setting up shop in the U.S. Some want to sell their goods locally in the U.S. or set up the functions needed to re-export to other countries. Others come looking for new technologies to improve their productivity. And a few ambitious clothing and toy manufacturers, as well as automakers, hope to create their own independent brands overseas.