To sail overseas market and go out of environmental protection still need to make steady progress.

Industry insiders pointed out that environmental protection enterprises to accelerate the pace of "going out" will help the overall level of domestic environmental protection industry to upgrade. The severe environmental situation and the government's strong support for environmental protection will undoubtedly make China the largest environmental protection market in the world for a long time to come.

In 2015, there were at least 16 investments in environmental protection enterprises, 8 times the number in 2014.

Relevant media based on public reports and A-share, H-share environmental listed companies disclosed by the announcement collated the above data. Among the 16 overseas investments, there are not only large state-owned enterprises such as pioneer shares, but also private enterprises such as Chevron, which include environmental protection equipment production, sewage sludge treatment, soil remediation and solid waste treatment and other environmental protection areas. Among them, 5 enterprises have chosen to invest in the United States.

"As the environmental protection industry is still blank in many parts of the world, China's environmental protection industry will set off a wave of market development overseas for quite a long time to come." Insiders pointed out that Yu Long.

Domestic media are also concerned about the upsurge of environmental protection enterprises to enter the overseas market, and even use the "environmental protection industry overseas merger and acquisition assembly number" to describe. Public opinion holds that "through cross-border M&A, on the one hand, it is conducive to enterprises to make up for their own business'shortcomings'and quickly enter new areas; on the other hand, due to the serious homogenization of domestic environmental protection enterprises, intensified competition, some environmental protection enterprises have taken the abacus of strengthening their own technological reserves through overseas M&A."

Overseas M & A in the first quarter

Compared with 2015, environmental protection enterprises are more interested in overseas mergers and acquisitions. According to the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Environmental Services of the National Federation of Industry and Commerce (hereinafter referred to as the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Federation of Environment), in the first quarter of this year alone, six foreign acquisitions were launched in the field of environmental protection, totalling 12.8 billion yuan, more than twice the total amount of overseas acquisitions last year.

At present, there are about 40,000 to 50,000 environmental protection enterprises in China, most of them are small enterprises. It is not easy for these small enterprises to enter the international market, no matter from experience or strength. In this regard, Zhao Lijun, a senior industry insider, said that since 2009, environmental protection work has begun to go out. Going out faces many challenges, including bilingual talents, understanding of international standards, experience in international projects and so on.

"For the enterprise, if not ready, go out in a hurry, this may have to pay a higher tuition cost." Mr. Zhao said GE was a successful company in global mergers and acquisitions, and still half of the mergers and acquisitions were unsuccessful. For the relatively weak environmental protection enterprises, with the help of cooperation with large enterprises, the realization of enterprises to go out has become more critical.

"Last year, we went out and went out with some central enterprises. We are now working with a number of Chinese-funded enterprises overseas projects, so far we have earned more than 500 million yuan projects. Zhao Lijun said that with the increasing international attention to environmental protection, the environmental requirements for Chinese enterprises to invest overseas have also increased, and large enterprises have the same willingness to cooperate with environmental protection enterprises in the process of overseas investment.

Overseas mergers and acquisitions and technical cooperation "march together"

In fact, China's environmental protection enterprises have been "going out" for some time. Many years ago, many environmental protection enterprises have already obtained overseas project orders by virtue of their comprehensive advantages such as technology, management and cost. They have opened up international markets in Southeast Asia, South Asia, Middle East, Africa and South America, and carried out industrial internationalization development. Useful exploration and attempt.

In the past two years, domestic environmental protection enterprises have been distributing overseas markets through overseas mergers and acquisitions. In addition to state-owned enterprises' "big hand" mergers and acquisitions, private enterprises "go global" pay more attention to technological cooperation. "China's environmental protection enterprises from more than 5,000 in 2005 to more than 50,000 now, showing a thriving scene, but the competition is also fierce." Zhao Lijun said at the Sino Arab Cooperation Forum on environmental protection held in 2015.

On the one hand, some domestic markets are gradually saturated, even overcapacity, many environmental protection enterprises began to seek overseas markets. On the other hand, in recent years, in some relatively underdeveloped areas overseas, the pace of infrastructure construction has accelerated, environmental protection and drinking water safety issues have become increasingly important, and demand from overseas markets has become increasingly strong.

In the past two years, accelerating the "going out" of environmental protection enterprises is a "one belt and one road" strategy pursued by the state. At the same time, the establishment of Asia Investment Bank and Silk Road Fund has brought capital strength to "going out". The strategy of "one belt and one road" has further enriched the opportunities for interconnection and interconnection of international infrastructure. Under the multiple benefits, environmental protection enterprises "go out" ushered in the best opportunity for development. Zhao Lijun said.

China's environmental protection enterprises need better international image

At present, the environmental protection enterprises that have begun to try to "go out" are all large enterprises in the first echelon of the industry, such as North Water Control, Sander Environment, Botian Environment and so on. They have already felt a completely different atmosphere with the domestic environment in their attempt, and also feel the unique advantages of China's environmental protection enterprises. As Zhao Lijun said, "China has the world's largest environmental protection market, the most complex pollution problems, so China's environmental protection enterprises have the most abundant governance experience."

However, in addition to the legal, cultural, linguistic and other differences in international business and the challenges posed by risks, in their "going global" experience, the international market does not understand the strength of China's environmental protection enterprises, is also a big problem. In the age of globalization, we need not only to know each other, but also to express ourselves.

At a time when China's "green development" concept has aroused strong international concern, Zhao Lijun described the development of China's environmental protection industry with "the world's greatest environmental protection enterprise in the future". It can be said that the international image of China's environmental protection enterprises has a bonus. In fact, this dream is more like a "mobilization" for domestic environmental protection enterprises.

China's environmental protection industry, which is still under "policy driven", needs greater pursuit. Of the 53,000 environmental protection enterprises in China, only 1% have annual income of over 300 million, while 90% have income of less than 10 million. For the environmental protection industry with technology as an important support, if there is no impetus to pursue technological development and corresponding financial preparation, it will be difficult to face the market given by higher governance needs, and it will be difficult to win in the future competition.