2015 sees new record for foreign investment in China

BEIJING - New official data released by China’s Ministry of Commerce includes estimates of foreign investment in China during 2015 hitting a record US$126 billion. During the first 11 months of the year, China netted US$114 billion in non-financial investment, a year-on-year increase of 7.9%. Additionally, almost 24,000 foreign-funded enterprises were founded during the same period, up 11% from the same period in 2014.

The MOC statement said a rising amount of foreign capital flowed into the service sector and advanced manufacturing. Generally, investment in China from major countries remained more or less stable, with China’s free trade zones – with their preferential policies – playing major roles in the inflow of foreign capital.

“Foreign investment increased at a relatively fast speed with improving quality against the background of a fierce global fight for capital and persistent downward pressure, the Ministry said.

In 2014, China attracted in US$119.6 billion in non-financial foreign investment, overtaking the US for the first time as the world’s largest foreign investment receiver. www.webershandwick.cn (ATI).