BEIJING — Foreign direct investment in China rose seven percent year-on-year in August, snapping 10 straight months of declines, the commerce ministry said Tuesday.

China attracted a total of 7.5 billion dollars in foreign investment last month, ministry spokesman Yao Jian told reporters.

The increase compared with a fall of 35.7 percent in July from the same month in 2008.

Foreign direct investment in the first eight months of the year was down 17.5 percent over the same period last year to 55.9 billion dollars, the spokesman said.

Yao however said that foreign investment in the nation's vital manufacturing sector had remained constant over the past year.

"Foreign investment in China's manufacturing sector has been particularly stable and seen no fluctuations. This is an important indicator," he said.

"It shows that China over the long term will remain a major destination for foreign investment in manufacturing."