A staff member works at a workshop of IMS Gear (Taicang) Co Ltd in Taicang, East China's Jiangsu province, March 14, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

BEIJING - Foreign direct investment (FDI) in the Chinese mainland in actual use stood at 112.71 billion yuan (about $15.86 billion) in January, down 11.7 percent year-on-year and up 20.4 percent month-on-month, the Ministry of Commerce said on Friday.

Last month, 4,588 new foreign-invested firms were established across the country, up 74.4 percent year-on-year, the ministry said. "This shows that foreign investment is enthusiastic about coming to China, and that multinationals are still optimistic about the development opportunities of the Chinese market."

FDI in the high-tech manufacturing sector soared 40.6 percent year-on-year in January.

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FDI from France saw a 25-fold increase, FDI from Sweden saw an 11-fold growth, and FDI from Germany, Australia and Singapore increased by 211.8 percent, 186.1 percent and 77.1 percent, respectively, the ministry said.