Are Chinese contractors competitive in international markets?

Abstract

Chinese contractors have become more active in recent years in the international arena. This development is largely due to the encouragement and support by the Chinese government, coupled with the pressure of intensive competition within the domestic market. The increasing presence of Chinese international contractors (CICs) has attracted the attention of competitors from other countries. The CICs' strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in the international construction market are identified through analysing their business performance. Data used for the analysis are from multiple sources including literature reviews, policy reports, published statistics data and interviews with 25 construction professionals who work in CICs. It is suggested that CICs have made significant progress in building up their competitiveness in recent years and become competitors to other overseas contractors in international construction markets. The results provide valuable references for undertaking comparative research on organizational competitiveness among the contractors who come from different countries in international construction markets.