Driven by the "Belt and Road" initiative, Chinese enterprises have entered the region for overseas direct investment, which has promoted the sharing of labor and resource among various countries in the region. This strategy is mainly aimed at developing countries along the Belt and Road, which are rich in natural and human resources. Despite significant differences from developed countries in institutional environment and financial services, the market demand potential is huge. As one of the important measures of China's opening up to the outside world, the "Belt and Road" strategy provides valuable opportunities for domestic enterprises to make use of the international market and resources and cultivate new competitive advantages. In view of this, this study focuses on exploring the impact of the "Belt and Road" market experience on the reverse growth of enterprises, and the adjustment effect of the absorption capacity of enterprises. This study uses the outbound investment data of China's A-share listed companies from 2013 to 2023, and uses multiple regression analysis and negative binomial regression analysis methods to effectively test the relationship between investment experience and reverse growth of enterprises. The findings indicate that the investment experience of companies operating along the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has a substantial positive effect on their ability to achieve reverse growth. Additionally, the absorptive capacity of these enterprises is a critical factor that mediates this process. This research contributes theoretical backing to the concept of reverse expansion by Chinese enterprises in the global market. Its insights are anticipated to inform the development of free trade zones between China and other nations, particularly regarding the international expansion strategies of enterprises.

Wanqi Wu, Yidan Zang. Research on the relationship between the experience learning and the reverse growth of enterprises in the "Belt and Road" market. Academic Journal of Business & Management (2025), Vol. 7, Issue 1: 163-172. https://doi.org/10.25236/AJBM.2025.070122.

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