Chinese mainland outbound M&A deal volume soared to a new high of 257 in the first three quarters of 2015, exceeding the total number in the whole year of 2014.

There were 11 deals with values greater than $1 billion, down from 14 in the same period last year, but the total value reached $45.2 billion, slightly higher compared to the same period of 2014.

The deal value of State-owned enterprises’ outbound activities in the first three quarters of 2015 surpassed that in the whole year of 2014 with four mega deals with values over $2 billion.

Here's a look at 10 biggest mergers and acquisitions.

No 10 Anbang Insurance buys 66 percent stake in Tong Yang Life Insurance

Date: February 17, 2015

Deal value: $1.02 billion

Industry: Insurance

Target location: South Korea

Passengers walk past an advertisement for Anbang Insurance Group at a subway station in Shanghai, Oct 18, 2012. [Photo/IC]