"Companies need to prepare themselves, as an understanding of the opportunities and challenges in the market is crucial," said Hans-Paul Burkner, Boston Consulting Group chairman.

He was speaking in the panel discussion Greenfield, or Mergers and Acquisitions, at the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2019.

A greenfield investment is a type of foreign direct investment where a parent company builds its operations in a foreign country from the ground up.

"Chinese companies need to study the market (they want to invest in) very carefully," said Burkner.

"They usually overpay (sometimes more than twice as much money) and they need be much more thoughtful and prepared."