Mapping the landscape of China’s outward foreign direct investment research: insights from a bibliometric overview

China’s outward foreign direct investment has become a transformative force in global economic interactions, necessitating a methodical assessment of how this phenomenon has been studied. To address this, we conduct a bibliometric analysis of 1,717 peer-reviewed articles indexed in Scopus and Web of Science from 1987 to 2023, applying performance and science-mapping techniques. The study reveals significant growth in scholarly interest, particularly following China’s “Going Global Strategy” and the “Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).” It identifies eight thematic dimensions—strategic business planning, political diplomacy, economic frameworks, legal and regulatory compliance, societal contexts, technological innovation, environmental sustainability, and policy development—and traces their evolution across three phases, observing a critical shift towards sustainability and global responsibility in recent discourse. The analysis also highlights China’s central role in an expanding international research network, with strong collaborations across both developed and emerging economies. Building on these insights, the study proposes five key areas for future research: optimizing China’s industrial structure, deepening cultural influences on investment facilitation, assessing socioeconomic implications, exploring environmental impacts beyond climate change, and developing strategies to address challenges in untapped regions and sectors. Although limited by reliance on English-language publications and two databases, this study offers pathways for researchers to deepen understanding and inform policy in this dynamic field.