Iconic American Companies Owned by Chinese Investors

Headquarters: Los Angeles, California
Bought By: Shangying Global
Headquarters: Shanghai, China

Leading clothing manufacturer Oneworld Star International landed on its feet in 2016 when it was purchased by Shangying Global. The Chinese company spent over $280 million on the purchase, also acquiring Apparel Production Services at the same time and thus conquering the American market.

After spending so much money in the fashion business, Shangying gained a significant foothold in the States, putting it in a much better position to purchase further companies in the future and expand its grip on the apparel industry. Shangying is now at the helm of a large portion of textiles production. Now, Shinyang oversees a large portion of the textiles production for popular brands like Under Armour.

Headquarters: Santa Clara, California
Bought By: Will Semiconductor Co. Ltd.
Headquarters: Shanghai, China

The deal brokered between OmniVision Technologies Inc. and Shanghai-based company Will Semiconductor Co. Ltd was so quiet that it didn’t become public knowledge until a year later in 2019. According to documents published in April of that year, over $2.1 billion exchanged hands.

With little to no fanfare and no public statement released, the details of the sale remain unclear. However, the company first became involved with Chinese investors in 2015 when several chinese companies banded together to pay $1.9 billion for the California-based business. Will Semiconductor Co. Ltd is not a well-known company by any means, making the takeover somewhat of a mystery.

Headquarters: Fontana, California
Bought By: Alpha Group
Headquarters: Canton, China

Baby Trend Inc specializes in all things baby, from highchairs and car seats to travel systems and diaper pails. The business continues to grow, especially after the 2016 purchase made by Canton’s Alpha Group.

“We are excited to offer safe, educational, and entertaining solutions to infants and their caregivers around the world,” said Wang Jing, the VP of Alpha. “Acquiring Baby Trend will allow us to bring our innovative technology and outstanding intellectual properties into a whole new category, while showcasing our existing expertise in the baby and infant market globally.”

Headquarters: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Bought By: Sinopec
Headquarters: Beijing, China

Oil and gas has always been a huge industry that’s dominated the world. Back in 2013, Beijing’s Sinopec spent $1 billion on a stake in a natural-gas field between Oklahoma and Kansas, owned by the Chesapeake Energy Corp.

“While Chesapeake has many quality assets, Chinese oil companies care more about their drilling and shale-fracking technology,” said expert Laban Yu. “The reason Chinese oil companies have gone after Chesapeake in the past year was also because they wanted to apply the technology to tap the world’s No.1 shale gas reserves in China.”

Headquarters: Houston, Texas
Bought By: Concord Medical Services
Headquarters: Beijing, China

Back in 2012, many eyebrows were raised when 20% of The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Proton Therapy Center was acquired by Beijing-based company Concord Medical services. Although the purchase didn’t directly affect the University’s ownership stakes, it did boost Concord’s profile.

“Proton treatment has become a widely accepted method of radiation therapy,” said Dr. Jianyu Yang, Concord Medical chairman and CEO. “Concord Medical plans to build and operate two proton centers in China. This transaction will enable us to gain valuable experience and knowledge of the operations of a proton therapy center from the world leader in proton therapy cancer care.”