Abstract—The dynamic business environment drives us to revisit the existing typologies and frameworks of internationalization motives. This study examines Chinese state-owned enterprises’ motivational factors behind their internationalization. The qualitative research adopts the case study method of in-depth semi-structured interviews. Seven interviews have been conducted with managers of Chinese state-owned enterprises. Results show that Chinese state-owned enterprises’ internationalization is motivated by several drivers, including end customer market seeking, natural resource seeking, knowledge seeking, efficiency seeking, global value consolidation seeking, geopolitical influence seeking, reactive motives, network seeking, brand reputation seeking, and other triggers of internal conditions. Besides, the findings explain that external crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic has relatively small or even no effects on Chinese state-owned companies’ internationalization motives. The contribution of this study can enrich scholars’ understanding of emerging market firms’ internationalization motives and provide managerial implementations for practitioners.