Calls rise to make Chinese firms' outbound investments rational

As ODI outstrips FDI, experts say it is time for a rethink on flows to-and-from nation

BEIJING - Chinese companies' outbound investments might have raised their global profile, but have yet to fully alleviate fears of a capital flight, experts said.

For many years, inbound foreign direct investment, or FDI, was important for China's exports and the growth of an economy that was labor-rich but capital-poor. Now, outbound direct investment, or ODI, exceeds inbound FDI.