Foreign direct investment (FDI) into China fell for a sixth straight month in April amid global economic woes.

FDI edged down 0.74 percent year on year to $8.4 billion in April, following drops of 6.1 percent in March, 0.9 percent in February and 0.3 percent in January, said the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM).

In the first four months, FDI totaled $37.88 billion, down 2.38 percent from a year earlier.

Investment from the debt-ridden European Union plunged 27.9 percent in the January-April period from a year ago. But, that from the United States climbed 1.9 percent.

MOFCOM spokesman Shen Danyang said the ministry was prudently optimistic about the outlook for foreign investment, which had dropped because of both the lackluster global economy and rising costs within China.