Foreign investment gravitates toward China amid easing market access

BEIJING -- China remains an attractive destination for foreign direct investment in January, the Ministry of Commerce said on Wednesday.

FDI into the Chinese mainland expanded 4.6 percent year-on-year in actual use to 91.61 billion yuan in January, MOC data showed.

In US dollar terms, the inflow rose 6.2 percent year-on-year to 13.47 billion dollars.

Foreign investment in the services industry came in at 68.46 billion yuan in January, up 11 percent year-on-year and accounting for 74.7 percent of the country's total FDI, according to the MOC.

Wholesale and retail trade sectors saw FDI climb 27.2 percent year-on-year during the period, and the accommodation and catering industries saw a 71.5 percent surge.

The MOC has pledged to continue widening market access for foreign investment, which continues to face a complex and severe situation this year.

China will fully implement a new negative list for foreign investment and further lift restrictive measures, according to the MOC.