China Jan FDI falls 32.6 pct to $7.54 billion

Published: 15 Feb 2009 19:14:08 PST

BEIJING, Feb 16 - China drew $7.54 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) in January, 32.6 percent less than a year earlier, the Commerce Ministry said on Monday.

The ministry released the figure at a news conference.

China attracted a record $92.4 billion in non-financial FDI in 2008, an increase of 23.6 percent from 2007.

Inflows have surged since the country joined the World Trade Organisation in 2001.

China's foreign direct investment~ (in $ billion): _2009_ _______________________2008__________________________ Jan Dec Nov Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb 7.54 6.0 5.3 6.7 6.6 7.0 8.3 9.6 7.8 7.6 9.3 6.9

~ FDI excluding investments in the financial sector. Some of the monthly figures are calculated based on cumulative data.