Despite China's trade dispute with America and controversies surrounding firms such as Huawei, Chinese companies – many of which are state-owned – are expanding aggressively into all corners of the globe. The Chinese government has been encouraging global expansion since 1999 through its 'Go Out' policy, which gives financial support to Chinese businesses that invest overseas.

More recently, in 2013 it launched the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) – often called a  "21st century silk road" – which encourages investments and infrastructure in 152 countries across Asia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas. Read on to find out the major Chinese corporations that are taking over the planet.

One of a minority of privately owned companies in our round-up, Tencent is now the world's largest gaming company and one of the most valuable tech firms globally. Its international concerns include stakes in Snapchat, Spotify and Tesla, and investments in Hollywood movie studios. The media giant is currently in talks to buy 10% of Universal Music Group.

Controlled by the Chinese state, China Oil and Food Corporation (known as COFCO) is the country's biggest food processing company. In recent years the firm has developed a comprehensive global trading network doing business with more than 50 countries. The enterprise hit the headlines earlier this year when it put US soybean purchases on hold due to the trade dispute.

Buoyed on by the Chinese government's 'Go Out' international expansion policy, the state-owned Beijing Automotive Group (BAIC) has undertaken joint ventures with Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai, snapped up Saab intellectual property, built the world's largest Chinese parts factory in South Africa and recently bought a 5% stake in Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler.

Amer International Group, which is owned by billionaire Wang Wenyin, is a conglomerate that certainly lives up to its international moniker. The group has R&D centres in Los Angeles, Geneva and Singapore, works with prestigious universities such as Harvard and Oxford, and has invested in a diverse portfolio of Western companies including US mining firm General Moly.

Likewise, state-controlled metals and mineral trading company China Minmetals has a strong global presence and boasts a North American HQ in Weehawken, New Jersey. The company also owns the lion's share of Australian mining company OZ Minerals, which it acquired back in 2009, as well as Congo-focused copper producer Anvil Mining.

European governments have stepped up efforts to prevent Chinese firms from buying up utility companies on the continent, but that didn't stop China Southern Power Grid from purchasing a 25% stake in Luxembourg's Groupe Encevo in 2018. The state-owned enterprise also owns large stakes in Chile's Transelec and was considering buying 50% of the UK's Electricity North West earlier this year.

This government-controlled corporation is a key player in China's humongous Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The mining and energy company has global interests, including wind power projects in Canada and South Africa.

 

A private enterprise in a sector that is dominated in China by state-owned enterprises, Pacific Construction Group (CPCG) is another important player in the BRI. The company is building entire cities along the new Silk Road and is undertaking highway and metro projects most notably in Iran, Montenegro, Albania and the Ukraine.

The majority state-controlled China Communications Construction is one of the world's leading international contractors and number one for transportation projects. Its many global projects include Italy's Venice Offshore Port (pictured), the Suramadu Bridge in Indonesia and Africa's longest suspension bridge, not to mention the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway, Kenya's largest-ever infrastructure undertaking.

Government-owned conglomerate Sinochem operates in numerous sectors from energy, chemicals and agriculture to real estate and financial services, and has hundreds of subsidiaries within and outside of China. The group's overseas acquisitions include Spanish company ELIX Polymers, French energy giant Total's Colombian assets and Malaysia's Euroma Rubber Industries.

Though the state-owned FAW Group has long concentrated on the domestic market, the automotive company, which is ramping up exports of parts in particular, has recently expanded operations to 48 countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America due in a large part to its participation in the Chinese government's BRI.

One of China's largest automotive companies, the state-owned Dongfeng Motor Group has undertaken a number of joint ventures with foreign automakers including Renault, Honda and Peugeot-Citroën, and is expanding globally having set up R&D centres, sales units and manufacturing facilities in Sweden, Iran and Russia. It has plans to enter the North American and European markets in a significant way by 2020.

China Resources, which unsurprisingly is controlled by the People's Republic, is a vast conglomerate active in numerous sectors including real estate. The group's property arm made its first major overseas investment in 2017 when it partnered with developer NorthStar Realty Europe to buy a $370 million (£300m) office complex in the City of London.

The government-controlled China Development Bank is one of the principal financial institutions funding BRI projects throughout the world. The bank has been slammed in some quarters for its failure to adhere to international standards and for unfairly favouring Chinese contractors to carry out the infrastructure projects.

The country's third-largest oil company, China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), which is owned in its entirety by the state, has developed a complete industrial chain and global business encompassing 40 countries and regions. As well as oil and gas exploration, development and production, the firm is involved in engineering, technical and financial services.

The most controversial company in our round-up, Huawei, is not state-owned but has never sold shares publicly and is suspected of having strong links to the government. In fact Huawei has been accused by the US of facilitating cyber espionage via its development of 5G networks. As a result, the firm pulled out of the American market last year. Huawei is banned from participating in 5G networks in the US, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, and faces potential bans or restrictions in Canada, India, Vietnam and some European countries.

Read more about Huawei: why the Chinese tech titan is so controversial

China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) has been expanding internationally since the 2000s. To date, the government-controlled construction colossus has completed projects across all habitable continents. Its notable successes include the Algeria East–West Highway, the Vientiane Metro in Vietnam, Nigeria's Abuja-Kaduna Railway (pictured) and the Albanian capital's tram system.

Wholly state-owned, China Mobile is the world's biggest mobile telecoms company by market cap. Though the bulk of its business is in China, the company is expanding internationally. Already active in Pakistan and the UK, China Mobile is particularly focussed on developing a strong presence in the Middle East.

China Railway Engineering Corporation (CREC) is one of China's largest railway and construction companies. Controlled by the state, the group has worked on or is currently working on several major projects overseas including the Amman Metro in Jordan, Dubai's Palm Island (pictured), the Venezuelan Tinaco-Anaco Railway and the Sengkang LRT light rail line in Singapore.

Eager to expand its international reach, China's leading life insurance firm, which is 70% state-owned, has been actively investing in overseas markets since 2015 when the government gave insurance companies the all-clear to buy up foreign real estate. Key investments include huge stakes in America's Marriott International Inc. hotel group, the Seaport development in Boston and London's Aldgate Tower skyscraper.

The smallest of the 'Big Four' state-owned Chinese banks by revenue, Bank of China is nevertheless an enormous company. Though the vast majority of its business is conducted within China, the bank has a strong presence in 27 countries spanning Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, and North and South America.

China's biggest auto manufacturer by revenue, SAIC Motor, which is owned by the state, has a presence in six continents. The company has engaged in joint ventures with the likes of Volkswagen and General Motors in which it possesses a sizeable stake, and owns iconic marques such as MG.

The Agricultural Bank of China is the country's third-largest lender and pulled off the world's second-biggest IPO when it went public in 2010 at $23 billion (£18.8bn). One of the country's 'Big Four' government-controlled banks, the finance giant has been busily growing its international presence and currently has offices across Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America.

Like the other 'Big Four' state-owned banks, China Construction Bank, which has been extending its global reach in a big way, is heavily involved in the country's super-ambitious BRI, and has been criticised for lending to developing nations that are unlikely to be able to pay back the loans, sparking accusations of "a new version of colonialism" and "debt diplomacy" as reported in the Financial Times.

Ping An Insurance is the world's biggest and most valuable insurer. The firm, which is part-owned by CP Group and the Shenzhen government, is mainly focused on the domestic market. Still, Ping An has branches and reps in 400 cities across 150 countries.

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The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) is the world's largest bank in terms of everything from total assets to number of customers, and the biggest of the 'Big Four' state-owned banks. It has embarked on a comprehensive overseas expansion programme, having already established a formidable international network. By the end of 2018, the banking behemoth had set up 426 institutions in 47 countries and regions covering Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, and North and South America.

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The government-controlled China State Construction is the world's largest construction company by revenue. The corporation has worked on a bewildering array of overseas projects from Federation Tower in Moscow which is Europe's tallest skyscraper (pictured), to New York's 7 Subway Extension, and is the main contractor for Egypt's new $58 billion (£47.1bn) capital city.

The largest utility company in the world, State Grid Corporation of China is the fifth-biggest company revenue-wise and serves over a billion customers. The government-owned business has invested in and operates backbone energy projects in numerous countries across the globe including Australia, Brazil, Greece, Italy, Pakistan, the Philippines and Portugal.

China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) turns over a staggering $393 billion (£318.8bn) a year making the state-controlled energy company the fourth-biggest on the planet. A key global player, the corporation is one of the world's leading oilfield services providers and engineering construction contractors, and has a plethora of operations in 30 countries and counting.

The world's biggest emerging company and the second-largest in terms of revenue, the wholly state-owned Chinese oil and gas titan Sinopec has more than 100 subsidiaries and branches and operates 50 major projects in 26 countries spanning Asia including the Middle East, Africa, and North and South America.

Now find out the businesses Chinese companies are buying up around the world