OUTBOUND merger and acquisition deals by Chinese companies rose more than 50 percent in the first half of 2010 from a year ago and the trend is expected to continue next year, an industry report said yesterday.

There were 99 M&A deals completed between January and June, PricewaterhouseCoopers said in a report yesterday, with seven outbound deals exceeding US$1 billion compared with just three a year earlier.

Most of the Chinese M&A deals were in natural resources, with Australia identified as the main target destination. Africa, however, is growing in prominence for Chinese resources investors.

"Although natural resources continue to be the priority industry target for Chinese investors overseas, we are seeing other industries starting to get increased attention, including high technology, manufacturing and services," said Andrew Li, a partner at PwC.

Investors are broadening their industry targets and regions to include the United States, Japan and the European Union, he said.

The economic recovery has helped boost China-related M&A acquisition deals in the first six months of this year.