For Profit or Patriotism? Balancing the Interests of the Chinese State, Host Country and Firm in the Lao Rubber Sector. (June 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lu, Juliet
• Is Part Of: China quarterly. Number 250(2022)
• Page Start: 332
• Page End: 355
• Publication Date: 2022-06
• Subjects: Chinese investment -- Laos -- Yunnan province -- province-level governments -- SOEs -- rubber -- state–capital relations; 中国对外投资 -- 老挝 -- 云南 -- 省级政府 -- 国有企业 -- 橡胶 -- 国家-资本关系; China -- History -- Periodicals; China -- Periodicals; 951
• DOI: 10.1017/S0305741022000522
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0305-7410

Abstract

Abstract: Chinese state firms are expected not only to profit but also to serve state interests. But the Chinese state is fragmented: border provinces are taking on an expanded role in China's global expansion and a broad range of firm activities could be defined as patriotic contributions. Through the case of Yunnan State Farms (YSF), a province-level state-owned enterprise, this article explores how state firms interpret and navigate multiple state interests while also pursuing profit. The firm's ability to profit depends on balancing the demands and support of different Chinese state actors while depicting itself as a development partner to the Lao state and a contributor to Sino-Lao diplomatic relations and border region stability. This case thus shows that, instead of YSF's behaviour being directed by the state, the firm exercises considerable latitude in defining its contributions to state interests through the expansion of rubber production as a driver of development.