Forms of collaboration for foreign contractors in China

According to a pilot study on foreign contractors' opportunities in China, foreign contractors are not likely to sustain business without collaboration from Chinese design institutes or construction enterprises. Based on the pilot study and the current Chinese construction related regulations, the paper identifies the possible Sino-foreign contractor collaboration forms, namely merger and acquisition, joint-venture, project-based collaboration, and strategic alliances. The paper then analyses the feasibility and stability of the various forms of collaboration and recommends the strategic alliance as the most appropriate collaboration form for foreign contractors. Changes among forms of collaboration are discussed.