Foreign direct investment (FDI) in China is expected to total about US$57 billion this year, US$4.3 billion more than that in 2002.

Ma Xiuhong, vice-minister of commerce, said at the Seventh China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) which opened in Xiamen in East China's Fujian Province, yesterday.

The fair was attended by several senior officials including Vice-Premier Wu Yi and chief executives Tung Chee-hua of Hong Kong and Edmund Ho Hau Wah of Macao.

After 25 years of tireless work in attracting FDI, China has a larger scope and a more optimized structure to attract foreign funds and the quality of investment from abroad in China is improving continuously, said Ma.

Ma made the remarks in a speech at the International Investment Forum 2003, part of the four-day CIFIT.

To date, more than 400 of the world's top 500 companies have launched operations in China, among which nearly 30 have set up regional headquarters here, according to a report from the Commerce Ministry at the fair yesterday.

FDI in China hit a record high last year and ranked top in the world for the first time, said the report.

The country's actual foreign investment in 2002 exceeded US$52.7 billion, a year-on-year increase of 12.51 percent, despite of a decline in global FDI investment.

With its entry to the World Trade Organization, China has seen a quickly enlarged scope and further optimized structure for foreign investment.

Also at the forum, Wu Yi pledged that the Chinese Government will further improve the investment environment for overseas business people in China.

While encouraging FDI in China, China's "going global" policy has obtained good results, Ma added.

By the end of July in 2003, there were 7,222 Chinese-established non-financial ventures operating in over 160 countries and regions outside China, with domestic backers contributing a total investment of over US$10 billion.

It is the first large-scale international investment activity in the country since the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in April.

Over 240 overseas delegations have registered for the fair.

(China Daily September 9, 2003)