This may not be news to you, but I'll lead with it anyway:
China's stock market is on fire, and all things China in our markets enjoyed a similar, rapid rise. Even with the recent pullback, Aluminum Corp. of China (NYSE: ACH) has nearly doubled in just over a year.
This next bit, however, may come as a surprise:
There are still fantastic long-term growth opportunities to be had among Chinese companies.
Where you won't find them
While picking up shares of infrastructure and commodity companies in China was a no-brainer the past few years, these companies are no longer cheap. Too many investors have caught on to the global boom in building.
What's more, current valuations imply that many investors expect the growth in buildings and infrastructure to continue unabated. But as Kubota (NYSE: KUB) made clear with its most recent earnings release, these are still cyclical companies with high fixed costs.
Instead, look to luxury
While iconic names such as Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) and Disney (NYSE: DIS) don't immediately pop into mind when we think "China," these are solid ideas worth considering. Both brands enjoy widespread consumer appeal in China and should see their sales benefit from growth in the country's middle class.
There's also little doubt in my mind that consumer heavies such as Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP), and Nestle (NSRGY.PK) will grow their sales as consumer spending increases in China and Southeast Asia. Today, almost three-quarters of P&G's $76.5 billion in sales is in developed markets. We should expect that ratio to decrease as the company increases its presence in emerging markets.
Japanese and Korean consumer goods companies such as Kao and Lotte also have opportunity ahead of them, though my favorite of this group is Unicharm -- a Japanese maker of diapers and other sanitary products that has pursued Chinese growth aggressively and boasts a leading share of the disposable diaper market in both Shanghai and Beijing. And while Unicharm's valuation is reasonable, you need access to the Tokyo Stock Exchange in order to pick up shares.
Foolish final thoughts
Although Chinese valuations are high, the opportunity in the country for investors is too big to ignore. For now, that means looking in some less obvious places to get a hold of Chinese growth.
While the consumer staples I mention above may take some time to fully capitalize on China, they haven't seen the sharp run-up that so many Chinese companies have.
If you're looking for more ways to profit from growth in China and around the world, take a look at our Motley Fool Global Gains international investing service. Our team recently returned from a research trip to China, and you can see all of our picks by joining the service free for 30 days. There's absolutely no obligation to subscribe.
This article was originally published Oct. 29, 2007. It has been updated.
Nathan Parmelee is a Global Gains analyst. Nathan holds no position in any of the companies mentioned. Disney is a Stock Advisor selection. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
