BEIJING -- China attracted US$8.96 billion in actual foreign direct investment in June, down 6.8% from a year earlier, Ministry of Commerce spokesman Yao Jian said Wednesday.
Though the decline was the ninth consecutive monthly fall, the sharp narrowing from May's 17.81% drop is another sign of improvement for China's economy, and likely signals a rebound in foreign investor confidence in Chinese growth.
Actual FDI in the six months ended June 30 totaled US$43 billion, down 17.9% from a year earlier, Yao said. China's actual FDI in the first five months fell 20.41% from a year earlier.
China's outward direct investment in non-financial sectors in the first half fell 51.7% from a year earlier to $12.4 billion, Yao said. The fall was magnified by some large outward investments in the year-earlier period, he said.