Iconic American Companies Owned by Chinese Investors

Headquarters: Lexington, Kentucky
Bought By: Apex Technology, PAG Asia Capital, Legend Capital
Headquarters: Various locations in China

When it comes to laser printers and imaging products, Lexmark International has built up a solid reputation since it was founded almost 30 years ago in the early ‘90s. As the years have rolled by, the technology has become more and more advanced. Although it’s American HQ is in Lexington, Kentucky, the company is actually owned by several Chinese companies.

In 2016, Apex Technology, PAG Asia Capital, and Legend Capital came together to pool $3.6 billion into acquiring the company in full. Lexmark hoped it would help the business expand into the Asian market with ease.

Headquarters: Des Moines, Iowa
Bought By: Anbang Insurance Group (Failed Acquisition)
Headquarters: Beijing, China

Fidelity and Guaranty Life Insurance Company help millions of people feel more secure in case the worst ever happens. That being said, the future of the company wasn’t always so certain. F&G was owned wholly by Harbinger Group until it was opened up to the public in 2013.

Then, Anbang Insurance Group expressed an interest in making the purchase for $1.57 billion. Everything was set to go until the deal was terminated at the last minute. Instead, F&G was acquired by CF Corp in 2017 for an estimated $1.84 billion.

Headquarters: Newport Beach, California
Bought By: CITIC Group Corp
Headquarters: Beijing, China

Earlier this year, tech giant Apple bought NextVR, an exciting virtual reality company with a lot to offer. NextVR has some very special patented technology to its name that helps set it apart from other companies of its kind, but it may not have gotten where it is today without the help of CITIC Group Corp in 2016.

The Beijing-based company provided a very healthy cash injection of $20 million four years ago in a bid to help NextVR up their game. At the time, the company was shopping around for several different investors. CITIC just happened to be one of them.

Headquarters: Seattle, Washington
Bought By: Alibaba Group
Headquarters: Yuhang District, Hangzhou

Zulily is a popular online shopping destination for many Americans as it sells anything you can think of, from toys to clothing and homeware. Although still a relatively young company at 10 years old, Zulily has managed to stay an active presence in a flooded marketplace.

In 2015, five years after its conception, Zulily gratefully accepted an offer by the Alibaba Group to purchase 4.8 million of its shares for around $56 million. While the Group owns around a sixth of the shares, it had previously owned about 5% of the company so its involvement wasn’t entirely new.

Headquarters: San Mateo, California
Bought By: Alibaba Group
Headquarters: Hangzhou, China

Like many online e-commerce companies, ShopRunner continues to be popular amongst its returning visitors. However, there is always room for growth. In 2013, China’s largest online commerce company bought a minority stake in ShopRunner for $75 million. To Alibaba, this was a minimal amount.

“The acquisition, on the one hand, will help the company understand more about US operating principles. On the other hand, it is also beneficial to the integration of a number of Alibaba’s overseas operations,” said one expert, Lu Zhenwang. The partnership likely capitalized on the trending growth in the market at the time.