China FDI up 5.2% in July on M&A

BEIJING: Foreign investment into China rose 5.2% in July compared with the previous year, largely on the back of mergers and acquisitions by overseas firms, the commerce ministry said on Wednesday.

Overall foreign direct investment (FDI), which excludes financial sectors, was US$8.22 billion last month, the ministry said, and US$76.63 billion in the first seven months of the year, a 7.9% increase.

“The amount and the proportion of foreign capital mergers and acquisitions rose sharply between January and July,” it said in a statement.

The proportion of M&A activity in FDI rose to 18.2% in the January-July period, it added, up from 4.6% in the same seven months a year ago.

China’s outbound overseas direct investment (ODI) last month was US$7.5 billion, a sharp decline of 18.6% versus a year earlier and the second consecutive monthly fall after one of 15.5% in June, the ministry said.

Commerce ministry spokesman Shen Danyang attributed the drops to a high comparative base.

“There were several big-ticket ODI projects in June and July last year,” he told reporters, adding that there were no similarly large deals in those months this year. “Many ODI projects were in the energy and oil sectors in the past,” he added. “Investors this year have been taking a wait-and-see stance due to the slumps in prices of oil and minerals and other international commodities.”

Full-year ODI growth is still expected to be 10%-15% or “even higher”, he said.

ODI in the January-July period rose 20.8% year-on-year to US$63.5 billion.

FDI growth has slowed in recent years owing to factors including rising costs, competition from South-East Asian countries, and concerns over official investigations into foreign companies.

At the same time, China’s acquisition of foreign assets, particularly energy and resources, has increased with firms encouraged to invest abroad to gain market access and international experience.

China drew a total of US$119.6 billion of FDI in 2014, up 1.7%, while ODI was up 14.1% at $102.9 billion, passing the US$100 billion mark for the first time.

The world’s second-biggest economy expanded 7.4% last year, the weakest pace since 1990, and slowed further to 7% in each of the first two quarters this year. - AFP