Foreign direct investment (FDI) into the Chinese mainland fell sharply again in July, slumping 16.95 percent from a year earlier to $7.81 billion, the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said on August 18.
The sharp decline was in contrast with a 0.2-percent increase in June, according to the ministry.
For the first seven months, the FDI, which excludes investment in the financial sector, stood at $71.14 billion, down 0.35 percent from the same period last year.
MOFCOM spokesman Shen Danyang said year-on-year fluctuation of inbound FDI data is totally normal.
"It has nothing to do with the recent anti-trust probes. The Chinese Government launched such probes with the aim of creating a fair market for all market participants," he said.
Meanwhile, the outbound FDI by Chinese non-financial companies soared 84.9 percent from previous year in July, compared with a year-on-year decline of 5 percent in the January-June period. |