Proceedings of 34th International Business Research Conference 4 - 5 April 2016, Imperial College, London, UK, ISBN: 978-1-925488-02-9 Internationalization, Geographic Location and Entrepreneurial Intention Julie Ann Elston* and Alois K. Weidinger** This study examines the importance of geographic location on the empirical link between internationalization and entrepreneurial intention across China. Results indicate that location significantly impacts intention to start a firm, with rural China outpacing highly internationalized Shenzhen and Hong Kong regions. Controlling for demographic characteristics, empirical estimates show that higher degrees of regional internationalization lead to lower levels of entrepreneurial intention. Our findings contribute to the literature by revealing significant complexity in the relationship between internationalization and entrepreneurship. Specifically, while highly internationalized locations allow better access to resource markets they may also hinder entrepreneurship for several reasons including the fact that these locations have higher competition for resources. Empirical results support findings of studies on the presence of an inverse ushaped relationship between location and internationalization (Fernhaber, Gilbert, & McDougall, 2008). We also conclude that he relatively higher levels of necessity based entrepreneurship in rural China help explain the regional differences observed in total entrepreneurial activity. Key Words: Internationalization, Entrepreneurship, Geographic Location, China __________________________________________________________________ *Oregon State University, 228 Cascades Hall, 2600 NW College Way, Bend OR 97701-5998, tel: 541322-3165, email: julie.elston@osucascades.edu. **Higher Colleges of Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE.