Sovereign wealth fund expands footprint to America, Europe

China's $300 billion sovereign wealth fund is considering new investments in resource-related companies after bets on commodities producers from the US to Kazakhstan paid off in 2009.

China Investment Corp (CIC) increased spending on energy and mineral assets last year to profit as the global economy recovers. The Beijing-based fund avoided the worst of the credit crunch in its first full year in 2008 and may have had a return of more than 10 percent in 2009, said London-based Jan Randolph, director of sovereign risk, analysis and forecasting at IHS Global Insight.