FDI data shows global firms upbeat on China

Global companies remain steadfast in their view that increasing investment in China is a smart

strategy as its market’s appealing consumption power, ongoing industrial upgrade and higher-level opening up are big confidence boosters, said market watchers and business executives on March 17.

Data released by the Ministry of Commerce showed that foreign direct investment or FDI on the Chinese mainland, in terms of actual use, rose 6 percent year-on-year to 268.44 billion yuan ($39.05 billion) in the first two months of this year.

At the same time, high-tech industries saw a notable FDI increase of 32 percent from the same period last year.

Specifically, FDI in high-tech manufacturing soared nearly 69 percent year-on-year, while that in the hightech services sector surged more than 23 percent on a yearly basis, the ministry said in an online statement on March 17.