China sees more outbound than inbound M&A deals: KPMG

BEIJING - China's outbound merger and acquisition (M&A) volume exceeded inbound deals for the first time in the second half of 2015 amid a slowing Chinese economy and strong interest in international expansion, global accounting firm KPMG said Wednesday.

Between July and December 2015, the volume of inbound M&A deals from developed countries into China plummeted 55 percent to 35 from 77 deals six months earlier, the lowest number in at least 10 years, according to the latest analysis by KPMG.

In the meantime, Chinese outbound investment in developed markets climbed 5 percent to 62 M&A deals, the highest six-month total in the past decade, according to the analysis. The United States was the most popular destination, with 12 deals, followed by nine in Australia.

Chinese firms were more active in emerging markets, with investments into those regions rising 78 percent in the second half of 2015 to 16 deals.

Chinese private and state-owned companies are aggressively looking to acquire new technology and enter new markets in order to become stronger domestically and more internationally competitive, said Ryan Reynoldson, head of transaction services at KPMG China.

Many attractive opportunities remain in China for overseas investors, such as in the health care and technology sectors, according to KPMG.

"Economic concerns about China are real, but are not necessarily a huge damper on the M&A market in the medium term," said Reynoldson.

China's economy grew by 6.9 percent, the slowest rate in 25 years, in 2015 as a result of an industrial glut, sagging property investment and weak foreign trade.

The KPMG analysis tracked agreements between 15 developed economies and 13 emerging economies.