China's outbound direct investment (ODI) in the non-financial sector hit $35.42 billion in the first half of 2012, up 48.2 percent year on year, said the Ministry of Commerce.

ODI in the non-financial sector had amounted to $357.5 billion by the end of June.

Domestic investors have invested in 2,163 overseas companies in 116 countries and regions in the first six months.

Of all Chinese first-half ODI, about 33.3 percent went into mergers and acquisitions, worth $11.8 billion.

ODI to Hong Kong, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the United States and Russia soared in the first half, with growth rates of 58.9 percent, 34.3 percent, 28.2 percent and 20.3 percent, respectively.

In comparison, China's foreign direct investment (FDI) declined 3 percent year on year to $59.1 billion. In June, the country attracted $12 billion in FDI, a drop of 6.9 percent year on year.