China Foreign Direct Investment

Data Macro

Source: Ministry of Commerce China
Source Link: https://www.mofcom.gov.cn/
Frequency: Monthly
Next Release(s): March 21st, 2026 5:00 AM

Latest Updates

China recorded 5,306 new foreign invested enterprises in January 2026 (+25.5% YoY) while utilized foreign capital fell -5.7% YoY to ¥92.01B, showing diverging activity and inflow trends.
- Manufacturing attracted ¥26.09B and services ¥64.04B of foreign capital, indicating the service sector remained the primary destination for investment.
- High tech industries received ¥33.75B (+0.6% YoY), accounting for 36.7% of total FDI, a +2.3 ppt increase in share from the prior year.
- Within high tech, R&D and design services surged +175.1% YoY, computer and office equipment manufacturing +82.4% YoY, and electronic and communication equipment manufacturing +3.7% YoY, showing concentrated gains in specific subsectors.
- Investment from Germany increased +86.6% YoY, Switzerland +57.4% YoY, and Singapore +10.9% YoY, highlighting stronger inflows from selected source economies.
- Despite rising enterprise formation, total utilized foreign capital declined -5.7% YoY, indicating weaker overall capital inflows compared with the prior year.
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China’s actual use of foreign direct investment fell -9.5% YoY in 2025 to ¥747.69B, even as new foreign-invested enterprises rose +19.1% YoY, signaling weaker inflows alongside continued foreign firm formation.
- A total of 70,392 new foreign-invested enterprises were established in 2025 (+19.1% YoY), indicating faster growth in foreign business registrations despite softer capital inflows.
- Actual foreign capital utilized totaled ¥747.69B in 2025 (-9.5% YoY), pointing to a larger annual decline than the pace implied by new enterprise formation.
- By sector, manufacturing attracted ¥185.51B in FDI while services received ¥545.12B, reinforcing the service sector as the dominant destination for foreign investment.
- High-tech industries drew ¥241.77B in FDI, representing a sizable share of total utilization and indicating relative resilience in tech-oriented categories.
- Within high tech, FDI increased in e-commerce services (+75% YoY), medical instruments and equipment manufacturing (+42.1% YoY), and aerospace equipment manufacturing (+22.9% YoY), showing concentrated strength in select subsectors.
- By source country, inflows from Switzerland rose +66.8% YoY, the UAE increased +27.3% YoY, and the UK increased +15.9% YoY (including free port investment data), highlighting selective gains among key investor countries.
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China’s actual use of foreign direct investment totaled ¥693.18B in Jan–Nov 2025, down -7.5% YoY, while new foreign-invested enterprises rose +16.9% YoY, highlighting weaker capital inflows alongside continued firm formation.
- A total of 61,207 new foreign-invested enterprises were established nationwide (+16.9% YoY), indicating sustained expansion in the number of foreign firms despite softer aggregate inflows.
- Actual FDI inflows declined on a cumulative basis to ¥693.18B (-7.5% YoY), an improvement over a -10.3% YoY decline in October and the smallest YTD decline since August 2023.
- In November alone, actual use of foreign capital increased +26.1% YoY, marking a notable rebound at the end of the period.
- By sector, manufacturing attracted ¥171.72B in FDI, while services received ¥506.29B, reinforcing the service sector’s dominant share of foreign investment.
- High-tech industries drew ¥221.26B in FDI, accounting for a sizable portion of total inflows and signaling relative strength in technology-oriented sectors.
- Within high tech, e-commerce services (+127% YoY), medical instruments and equipment manufacturing (+46.5% YoY), and aerospace equipment manufacturing (+41.9% YoY) posted the fastest growth rates.
- By source country, investment from Switzerland (+67% YoY), the United Arab Emirates (+47.6% YoY), and the United Kingdom (+19.3% YoY) increased, pointing to selective gains among major investors.
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China’s actual use of foreign direct investment (FDI) totaled ¥621.93 billion in Jan–Oct 2025, down -10.3% YoY, while 53,782 new foreign-invested enterprises were established, a +14.7% YoY increase, reflecting weaker capital inflows but continued expansion in enterprise formation.
- Manufacturing FDI was ¥161.91 billion, showing steady but smaller-scale investment relative to services.
- Service-sector FDI reached ¥445.82 billion, underscoring the sector’s dominant role in attracting foreign capital.
- High-tech industries received ¥192.52 billion, with notable increases in key sub-sectors such as e-commerce services (+173.1% YoY), medical equipment manufacturing (+41.4% YoY), and aerospace equipment manufacturing (+40.6% YoY).
- Investment from the UAE (+48.7% YoY), the UK (+17.1% YoY), and Switzerland (+13.2% YoY) increased, indicating selective strength among major investor countries.
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China’s FDI totaled ¥573.75 billion in Jan–Sep 2025, down -10.4% YoY, while the number of newly established foreign-invested enterprises rose +16.2% YoY to 48,921, reflecting slower capital inflows but continued business expansion.
- In September alone, actual FDI utilization increased +11.2% YoY, showing a short-term pickup in foreign investment activity.
- The manufacturing sector received ¥150.09 billion in FDI, while services attracted ¥410.93 billion, underscoring the continued dominance of service-related inflows.
- High-tech industries absorbed ¥170.84 billion in FDI, with notable gains in e-commerce services (+155.2% YoY), aerospace equipment manufacturing (+38.7% YoY), and medical equipment manufacturing (+17.0% YoY).
- By source country, FDI inflows from Japan (+55.5% YoY), the UAE (+48.7% YoY), the UK (+21.1% YoY), and Switzerland (+19.7% YoY) all increased, including investments via free ports.
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China’s FDI fell -12.7% YoY to ¥506.58 billion from January–August 2025, even as the number of new foreign-invested enterprises rose +14.8% YoY to 42,435.
- Manufacturing attracted ¥129.03 billion in FDI, while services drew ¥366.19 billion, underscoring the continued dominance of the service sector.
- High-tech industries received ¥148.28 billion, with sharp gains in e-commerce services (+169.2% YoY), aerospace equipment manufacturing (+37.5%), chemical manufacturing (+23.2%), and medical equipment manufacturing (+19.2%).
- FDI inflows from Japan rose +58.9% YoY, Switzerland +37.2% YoY, the UK +24.5% YoY, and Singapore +1.8% YoY (including flows via free ports).
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China’s FDI fell -13.4% YoY to ¥467.34 billion from January–July 2025, up from -15.2% YoY in the 1st half of the year, even as the number of new foreign-invested enterprises rose +14.1% YoY to 36,133.
- Manufacturing attracted ¥121.04 billion in FDI, while services drew ¥336.25 billion, underscoring the dominance of the service sector.
- High-tech industries received ¥137.36 billion, with sharp gains in e-commerce services (+146.8% YoY), aerospace equipment manufacturing (+42.2%), chemical manufacturing (+37.4%), and medical equipment manufacturing (+25.5%).
- FDI inflows from ASEAN rose +1.1% YoY, while Switzerland (+63.9%), Japan (+53.7%), and the UK (+19.5%) recorded strong increases.
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China’s FDI fell -15.2% YoY to ¥423.23 billion in the first half of 2025, despite a pickup in newly established foreign-invested enterprises, which rose +11.7% YoY to 30,014.
- High-tech industries attracted ¥127.87 billion, with strong YoY gains in e-commerce services (+127.1%), chemical/pharma manufacturing (+53%), aerospace/equipment (+36.2%), and medical devices (+17.7%).
- Manufacturing drew ¥109.06 billion in FDI, while the service sector brought in ¥305.87 billion.
- FDI from ASEAN rose +8.8% YoY, with notable increases from Switzerland (+68.6%), Japan (+59.1%), UK (+37.6%), Germany (+6.3%), and South Korea (+2.7%).
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Total foreign direct investment to China was down -13.2% YoY in the YTD period through May, down from -10.9% YoY in April.
- FDI from the ASEAN region was up 20.5% YoY.
- Investment from other developed economies saw strong increases as well: Japan up 70.2% YoY, UK up 60.9% YoY, South Korea up 10.3% YoY, and Germany up 7.1% YoY.
- Investment in the following industries saw strong increases: e-commerce services up 146% YoY, aerospace & equipment manufacturing up 74.9% YoY, chemical manufacturing up 59.2% YoY, and medical & equipment manufacturing up 20% YoY.
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Total foreign direct investment to China was down -10.9% YoY in the YTD period April, slightly lower than -10.8% YoY March.

Source
China Foreign Direct Investment: March 2025 2025-04-18 05:00