A view of Lujiazui Financial Center, Shanghai, China, October 25, 2025. (Photo: VCG)

China recorded an increase in newly established foreign-invested enterprises and robust growth in foreign direct investment (FDI) in high-tech industries in the first seven months of 2026, despite a decline in overall inflows, official data showed Friday.

During the period, 37,711 new foreign-invested enterprises were set up, up 4.4 percent year on year, while FDI in actual use came in at 438.33 billion yuan (about 64.63 billion U.S. dollars), down 6.2 percent from a year earlier, the Ministry of Commerce said.

By sector, manufacturing attracted 109.43 billion yuan in FDI, while the service sector drew 319.95 billion yuan.

Despite the overall drop, FDI in high-tech industries surged 32.7 percent to 182.31 billion yuan, accounting for 41.6 percent of the national total, a rise of 12.2 percentage points from a year ago.

Specifically, FDI in R&D and design services, services for the commercialization of sci-tech achievements, and electronic and telecommunications equipment manufacturing jumped 72.1 percent, 62.2 percent and 39.9 percent, respectively.

During the same period, actual investment from Saudi Arabia, France and the Republic of Korea grew by 343.7 percent, 36.1 percent and 15.8 percent, respectively, with investment via free ports included in the calculations.

In June, China unveiled a 15-measure action plan to stabilize and optimize foreign investment utilization, focusing on expanding market access, streamlining investment procedures, boosting investment promotion, strengthening services and safeguards for foreign investors, and improving foreign capital management.

A new version of the Catalogue of Encouraged Industries for Foreign Investment, which took effect on Feb. 1 this year, aims to steer more foreign capital into advanced manufacturing, modern services, high-tech industries, energy conservation and environmental protection, as well as into the central, western and northeastern regions of the country.