BEIJING, May 26 (Xinhua) -- China's outbound direct investment (ODI) across all industries reached 429.42 billion yuan (about 62.88 billion U.S. dollars) during the first four months of 2026, representing an increase of 3.9 percent year on year, official data showed Tuesday.

An aerial drone photo taken on March 15, 2025 shows the Phnom Penh toll station on the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway in Cambodia. The Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway, a project under the Belt and Road Initiative, is invested by the China Road and Bridge Corporation under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model and is the first-ever freeway in Cambodia. (Photo: Xinhua/Cheong Kam Ka)

Out of the ODI across all industries in yuan terms during the period, China's domestic investors made non-financial direct investment in 5,231 overseas companies across 142 countries and regions, with the investment value totaling 315.74 billion yuan, down 13.9 percent year on year, according to data released by the Ministry of Commerce and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange.

China's ODI rose as the actual use of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the country declined. The actual use of FDI totaled 287.69 billion yuan during the January-April period, down 10.3 percent from the previous year.

However, in the first four months of 2026, 20,113 new overseas-invested firms were established across the country, up 6.8 percent year on year, underscoring sustained confidence among overseas investors in the Chinese market.