HONG KONG — As China increasingly flexes its financial muscle, the country’s companies are spreading their wealth broadly across the United States instead of chasing major lawmakers or causes.

A new study, which looked at Chinese investment by congressional district, found the money was scattered across every region. Chinese companies are buying trophy properties in New York. They are building manufacturing operations in the Midwest. And they are snapping up Internet companies in California.

In all, Chinese companies have invested $46 billion in the United States since 2000, with most coming in the last five years, according to a study prepared by the Rhodium Group, a New York research firm, to be released on Wednesday

At the same time, geopolitical tensions with China have been rising. Washington is worried about China’s construction of artificial islands and at least one military-grade airstrip on disputed shoals, as well as the country’s deployment of multiple, independently targeted hydrogen bomb warheads. The Obama administration has also raised concerns about the new Chinese-led development bank.