Does local government debt management affect cross-border M&As? Evidence from China

The rapid expansion of government debt exacerbates systemic risks and tightens the credit transmission channels of monetary policy, posing a severe threat to the healthy development of firms. Existing literature mainly examines the impact of government debt on corporate financing behavior, innovation, and total output. Using data from a sample of Chinese A-share listed firms covering the period from 2001 to 2022, we investigate the impact of local government debt management on corporate cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As). Our analysis reveals that effective local government debt management promotes cross-border M&As by alleviating corporate financing constraints, intensifying market competition, and enhancing corporate risk-taking capacity. The findings offer fresh insights into achieving the dual objectives of risk prevention and stable growth through local government debt management and provide significant implications for boosting the high-quality development of the real economy.