FDI hits a record high as more investors flood in 
2019-01-15
Foreign direct investment into the Chinese mainland rebounded in December, jumping nearly 25 percent year on year — taking the year’s total to a record high, official data showed yesterday.
FDI in December reached 92.34 billion yuan (US$13.71 billion), up 24.9 percent year on year and up 23.2 percent in US dollar terms, the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement.
This marked a turnaround from a year-on-year decline of 26.3 percent in yuan terms and a 27.6-percent drop in dollar terms in November.
A total of 5,830 new overseas-funded enterprises were established last month, up 20.5 percent year on year.
In 2018, FDI rose 0.9 percent to 885.61 billion yuan or 3 percent to US$134.97 billion — a record high, the statement said. Last year saw 60,533 new overseas-funded enterprises established, up 69.8 percent year on year.
FDI into the manufacturing sector grew 20.1 percent and investment in high-tech manufacturing jumped 35.1 percent. The country saw nearly 1,700 major FDI projects with a contract value above US$50 million, up 23.3 percent from the previous year.
“As a guiding indicator for foreign investment, the number of major FDI projects on contracts posted a marked increase, showing that foreign investors’ confidence in China has not been undermined,” said Tang Wenhong, head of the MOC’s department of foreign investment administration. 
“As China continues to follow a path of high-quality development and further opens up, its appeal to foreign investors will continue unabated.” 
China has adopted an array of measures to open its doors, easing foreign equity restrictions, cutting red tape and better protecting the rights of foreign businesses.
It rose 32 places in last year’s World Bank business environment ranking.
And 95 percent of companies surveyed by the US-China Business Council said they would increase investment or maintain their existing presence this year.
Commerce Minister Zhong Shan said recently the country will continue to shorten the negative lists for foreign investors and allow wholly-foreign ownership in more sectors in 2019.
UK investment surged 150.1 percent last year, the fastest growth among major investment sources, while investment from Belt and Road countries grew 13.2 percent. 
