The mainland has suffered a spectacular collapse in the value of private equity deals, according to figures released for the first half of the year by Thomson Financial. The total value of deals made by buyout companies to June 30 was US$678.9 million, a decline of more than 83 per cent from the US$4.2 billion for the same period last year. The mainland's share of deals in Asia-Pacific, excluding Japan, fell from 33 per cent to just 3 per cent, placing it well behind India, Taiwan Province and Singapore. The mainland's disappointing performance is set to reignite concerns about protectionism in Asia's second-biggest economy. The Chinese government has announced plans to make foreign investors buying companies go through national security checks, while Carlyle Group's failure to take a controlling stake in State-owned Xugong Group Construction Machinery last year raised fears of an anti-foreigner backlash. […]