BEIJING: Chinese companies are shifting from reactive crisis response to proactive risk management, as their global expansion brings increasingly complex challenges to test their ability to protect employees and maintain business continuity, according to International SOS.
Demand for cross-border medical assistance, security risk management and crisis response services has steadily increased as Chinese companies invest in overseas projects and send more personnel abroad, the global health and security risk management company said.
Rather than relying primarily on post-incident assistance, more companies are investing in risk intelligence, travel risk management, emergency planning and employee security training before problems arise, International SOS said in a reply to questions from China Daily.
The shift coincides with the growing scale and diversity of Chinese enterprises operating on foreign shores.
By the end of 2025, there were more than 50,000 Chinese business entities overseas operating across 190 countries and regions, with China’s cumulative outbound investment ranking among the world’s top three for nine consecutive years, said the Commerce Ministry.
China’s outbound direct investment reached US$174.38bil in 2025, up 7.1% year-on-year, while non-financial outbound investment rose 1.3% to US$145.66bil, the ministry said. As their overseas footprint broadens, companies face compounding challenges. — China Daily/ANN
