ABSTRACT
Chinese multinationals carrying large-scale projects abroad have been considered flag bearers of the Belt and Road Initiative. Concerned about its image as a “responsible investor”, the Chinese government has promoted a specific overseas Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) framework that is relatively more congruent with international norms. Nevertheless, the normative congruence has not translated into a systematic and holistic improvement at the implementation level. Operating under a dual yet disparate CSR regime, Chinese companies lack the motivation and the capability to integrate CSR into their long-term development strategy. This implementation gap highlights the limitations of China’s CSR progress following a state-led top-down approach, which is characterized by the state’s leading role in picking specific CSR aspects as political priorities, such as environmental issues, as evidenced by the development of relevant initiatives under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Without full involvement of multi-stakeholders at home and abroad, we argue that China would remain as a qualifying actor of international CSR standards.
