FOREIGN direct investment in China rose three months in a row in April with increased investment from Europe and the United States, the Ministry of Commerce said this morning.
Foreign investors channeled a total of US$8.43 billion into China last month, up 0.4 percent annually, according to the ministry.
The pace slowed from a gain of 5.65 percent in March and 6.32 percent in February but was much better than a 7.3 percent drop in January.
Ministry spokesman Shen Danyang said China's inbound foreign investment has stabilized because of China's economic recovery.
China attracted US$38.3 billion of foreign investment in the first four months, up 1.21 percent annually.
During the January-April period, investment inflows from the 27-member European Union rose 29.7 percent to US$2.5 billion, while investment by the US firms jumped 33.2 percent to US$1.4 billion.
China absorbed US$111.7 billion of FDI last year, just shy of the 2011 record of 116 billion and marking the first annual fall in three years.
China's outbound direct investment surged 27 percent to US$29.5 billion in the first four months, indicating Chinese investors are keen to expand business abroad.
This year's China International Fair for Investment and Trade will be held in Xiamen, Fujian Province, from September 8 to 11. It is the world's largest investment fair certified by the Union of International Fairs.