In the first four months of 2021, the number of new foreign-invested firms in China reached 14 533, up 50.2% from a year earlier. Foreign investment in China was up 38.6% YoY to RMB397.07 billion (US$59.04 billion, up 42.8% YoY), excluding banking, securities and insurance areas, and mainly from countries along the Belt and Road routes, the ASEAN and the EU, which invested 62.8%, 65.2% and 9.2% higher, respectively, than in 2020.

By industries, RMB312.94 billion (up 46.8% YoY) was attracted by the service industry. Foreign investment in the high technology industry was up 29.1% YoY – more specifically, up 34% YoY in the high-tech service industry and up 15.4% YoY in the high-tech manufacturing industry. By regions, foreign investment was up 39.1% YoY in eastern China, up 37.5% YoY in central China and up 30.3% YoY in western China.