BEIJING / GENEVA — Foreign direct investment (FDI) into the Chinese mainland surged 5.8 percent year-on-year to 941.5 billion yuan in 2019, according to data released by the Ministry of Commerce on Tuesday.

China remained the world's second largest recipient of foreign direct investment in 2019, following the United States, according to an UNCTAD report

Over 40,000 new foreign-funded enterprises were established in the country last year, while the number of foreign-funded projects with investment of at least US$100 million reached 834, up 15.8 percent on a year-on-year basis, according to the official data.

FDI from Singapore, the Netherlands and South Korea grew by 51.1 percent, 43.1 percent and 21.7 percent year-on-year, respectively, in 2019, according to the ministry.

In the meantime, the global capital flow into high-tech industries in Chinese mainland jumped 25.6 percent year-on-year to 266 billion yuan, indicating many investment opportunities are emerging for foreign businesses in the transformation of traditional industries, high-end and smart manufacturing, as China's industrial sectors are undergoing an upgrading boom.

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2nd largest FDI recipient 

China remained the world's second largest recipient of foreign direct investment in 2019, following the United States, according to the "Global Investment Trends Monitor" published by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).  

Against the backdrop of weaker macroeconomic performance and policy uncertainty for investors, global FDI flows remained flat in 2019 at US$1.39 trillion, a one percent decline from the revised figure of US$1.41 trillion in 2018, said in the report. 

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FDI flows to developed countries remained at a historically low level, decreasing by a further six percent to an estimated US$643 billion, whereas FDI flows to developing economies remained stable at an estimated US$695 billion. 

The United States remained the largest recipient of FDI, attracting US$251 billion in inflows. 

"UNCTAD expects FDI flows to rise marginally in 2020 on the back of further modest growth of the world economy," the report reads. 

With inputs from Xinhua