China's non-financial outbound direct investment (ODI) increased to 16.5 per cent year-on- year to USD 87.3 billion in the first three quarters of 2015 as Chinese companies invested more under the Silk Road initiative, the government said today.
Foreign-contracted projects rose to USD 137.6 billion during the January-September period, up 26.5 per cent from last year, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said.
The accomplished turnover climbed 9.2 per cent to USD 100.8 billion, the MOC said.
The fast growth was led by the Belt and Road (Silk Road) Initiative, a trade and investment project initiated by China.
In the first three quarters, Chinese companies' ODI to countries along the Belt and Road jumped 66.2 per cent to USD 12.03 billion accounting for 15.3 per cent of total non-financial outbound investment.
Singapore, Kazakhstan, Laos, Indonesia, and Russia were among the most popular investment destinations, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Zhou Liujun, head of the MOC Department of Outward Investment and Economic Cooperation, also attributed the rise to the progress in international production capacity cooperation, companies' growing desire to expand overseas as domestic profits wane and reduction in administrative approvals.
Zhou said he had also seen new trends in China's outbound investment. Investment by non-state-owned companies and local businesses, for example, rose 38.2 per cent and 78.8 per cent year-on-year respectively in the first three quarters, making them the main source of outbound investment.
Mergers and acquisitions overseas by Chinese enterprises totalled USD 20.18 billion accounting for 23.1 per cent of total ODI.
The number of new foreign contracted projects valued at more than USD 50 million rose to 479, which is 63 more than last year.
More contracts in financing and consulting indicated a smooth transition toward high value-added projects for Chinese enterprises, Zhou said.
China became a net capital exporter for the first time last year when ODI outnumbered foreign direct investment (FDI). ODI grew 14.1 per cent in 2014, eclipsing the 1.7 per cent FDI growth.
