Remember when every offline company was desperate to become an online one? In China, it's happening the other way round.

The country's Internet giants are making forays into traditional industries, from logistics to consumer electronics. The pace will increase, but what starts as disruption could turn into overreach.

Alibaba announced a HK$2.8 billion ($361.2 million) investment with an electronics and logistics group in December. Search engine operator Baidu has partnered with manufacturers on smartphones and wearable devices to promote its cloud platform. An investment by a Web group in one of the region's struggling handset makers is not unthinkable.

One danger is that the companies overextend themselves. Baidu is not a hardware manufacturer; supply chains and after-sales distribution networks require new skills. A similar investment in logistics to Alibaba's may present itself if Baidu is serious about selling gadgets. But these opportunities may prove to be distractions. China's tech firms will put their core businesses at risk.

The author is Robyn Mak, a Reuters columnist.