Many large corporates in China are continuing to push through with their international expansion plans. Chinese outbound M&A volume had rapidly increased 86% from US$36 billion in 2009 to US$67 billion in 2014.

"Previously, Chinese companies were looking for cheap capital, but now they are looking for intangibles such as expertise and networks," says Xuong Liu, head of the transaction advisory group (TAG) at Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) China.

While the Chinese economy grew at 7.4% in 2014, the weakest in 24 years, experts are remaining bullish that mainland corporates will continue to be in the hunt for foreign assets in the near-term future.

"Chinese companies are looking to develop domestically with better governance and aiming to recruit talent and gain the ability to manage overseas assets," observes Liu. "I think that it's very good strategy for them to continue going overseas with a focus on improving their platform, brand and product to cement their position domestically."

Mainland companies in the last several years have shown no hesitation in acquiring high profile brands and technologies. In 2014, Chinese-owned Lenovo was involved in back-to-back acquisitions of Motorola's smartphone business and IBM's server segment amounting to a total deal value of US$5.24 billion. Both deals were only announced days apart and represented the two largest technology M&As ever to come out from China. Angbang Insurance Group, a large Chinese insurance conglomerate, bought iconic US hotel, the Waldorf-Astoria, for just under US$2 billion and marked the end of US ownership of the 121-year old hotel.

In 2013, Chinese operated Shuanghui acquired Virginia-based Smithfield Foods, the world's largest hog farmer and pork processor, for US$4.7 billion. It was a symbolic deal that marked the biggest Chinese takeover of a US company.

A&M recently launched its transaction advisory group in Shanghai with a focus on expanding its Asian presence.