Staying as the top FDI destination

China’s Ministry of Commerce said on Jan 13 that foreign direct investment into the Chinese mainland, in actual use, expanded 14.9 percent year-on-year to a record high of 1.15 trillion yuan last year.

In US dollar terms, the inflow went up 20.2 percent year-onyear to $173.48 billion.

Moreover, the annual growth rate of foreign investment in high-tech industries reached 17.1 percent last year, while it grew by 10.7 percent in high-tech manufacturing and 19.2 percent in the high-tech services sector.

Foreign investment in the services sector exceeded 906 billion yuan in 2021, up 16.7 percent year-on-year.

Experts and business leaders said China is seen as a safe haven by foreign investors seeking predictable market opportunities at a difficult time amid the COVID-19 pandemic. They said the nation will remain attractive despite various challenges such as rising competition from other emerging markets and a probable pullback of economic stimulus in developed countries.