Outbound merger activity remains robust in first half

The number of Chinese outbound mergers and acquisitions hit a new high in the first half of 2017, demonstrating that demand for strategic overseas investments remains strong, according to a report released on Thursday by international accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The report said there were 5,010 outbound and domestic M&A deals in the first six months of this year. The total value of those deals was $282.9 billion, down 20 percent compared with the second half of 2016.

While the total value of Chinese outbound merger and acquisition deals in the first half fell 13.3 percent to stand at $64.4 billion, the number of deals increased 8 percent to 482, compared with the second half of 2016.