Explore China's Global Reach

China has been steadily increasing its foreign investments outside of bonds in recent years. Between 2005 and 2010, it made more than $224 billion in overseas investments and also entered into engineering and construction contracts of more than $94 billion, according to data compiled by The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, D.C. The group tracks China's foreign nonbond investments and contracts worth more than $100 million. Before 2005, China had relatively few overseas investments outside of bonds, says Heritage's Derek Scissors. But China's investments are still dwarfed by the United States, he says. (Explore NPR's full series China: Beyond Borders.)