ABSTRACT
In view of rising political and economic sensitivities, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reporting has been widely used as a legitimacy tool for firms to conduct responsible Outward Foreign Direct Investment (OFDI). This chapter analyzes the impact of ownership types on the CSR reporting contents and quality of Chinese Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) along the Belt and Road. The findings reveal that Chinese MNEs with strong state ownership are more likely to actively fulfill the government's requirements specified by the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and thus perform better in CSR because they are subject to greater governmental coercive isomorphism pressure than private-owned businesses. Besides, Chinese MNEs with different ownership types have different CSR reporting foci. It is suggested that parallel regulatory forces for private-owned Chinese MNEs should be established in order to further enhance corporate stewardship in overseas host countries.
