Outbound FDI rises 25% over first 11 months

The country's outbound foreign direct investment totaled US$ 62.5 billion over the first 11 months of the year, year-on-year growth of 25 percent, statistics released by the Ministry of Commerce on December 18 show.

Among investment targets, the United States saw a mild increase. China's all-time FDI in the United States reached more than US$ 9 billion in 2011, and in the first 11 months of 2012, Chinese firms invested another US$1.1 billion, or 13 percent more than in the same period a year earlier, ministry data shows.

The statistics show a considerably lower value of Chinese FDI in the United States than a recent report by Rhodium Group, a U.S. consulting firm, which calculated US$ 6.3 billion in FDI from China in the first three quarters.

FDI is an important driver of the Sino-U.S. cooperative relationship, ministry spokesman Shen Danyang said. However, some firms encounter problems due to national security concerns, especially in merger and acquisition deals, he said.

The ministry's data shows that this year 70 more Chinese firms invested in projects in the United States for the first time. Also, 23 firms invested a sum of more than US$10 million, seven more than in 2011.

The statistics show that by the end of November, 3,596 domestic firms had invested in 130 countries and regions.