Foreign direct investment (FDI) in the Chinese mainland in actual use climbed by 13.2 percent year on year in March, the Ministry of Commerce said Friday.
In the first three months, FDI in the Chinese mainland in actual use totaled over 269.2 billion yuan (about 37.35 billion U.S. dollars), down 10.8 percent year on year.
According to the ministry, 12,603 new foreign-invested enterprises were established nationwide, representing a year-on-year growth of 4.3 percent.
In terms of sectors, during the January-March period, actual use of FDI in the manufacturing and services industries stood at 71.51 billion yuan and 193.33 billion yuan, respectively.
Meanwhile, actual use of FDI in high-tech sectors in the period came in at 78.61 billion yuan, with FDI in the e-commerce services, biopharmaceutical manufacturing, aerospace vehicle and equipment manufacturing as well as medical equipment industries growing by 100.5 percent, 63.8 percent, 42.5 percent and 12.4 percent, respectively, compared with one year ago.
As for sources of investment, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)'s actual investment in China increased by 56.2 percent, while the inflow from European Union (EU) countries grew by 11.7 percent.
Also on a yearly basis, investment from Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Japan and the Republic of Korea climbed by 76.8 percent, 60.5 percent, 29.1 percent and 12.9 percent, respectively, said the ministry.
China's FDI inflow rises 13.2 pct in March
An Israeli delegation will travel to Qatar's Doha on Tuesday for talks on a new Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced Monday.
In a statement, Netanyahu said the negotiations will take place "only under fire", reiterating his government's policy of continuing military pressure during talks.
The announcement followed a meeting in Jerusalem between Netanyahu, U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.
According to Netanyahu's office, the meeting focused on advancing a hostage release agreement before Israel launches a planned expanded military operation in Gaza, which will involve intensifying raids, seizing and occupying areas in Gaza, and displacing the enclave's population to a narrow area in the south.
After the meeting, Netanyahu spoke by phone with U.S. President Donald Trump and thanked him for helping secure the release of Edan Alexander, an Israeli-U.S. hostage who Hamas said had been freed on Monday as part of efforts to secure a ceasefire and reopen border crossings for aid delivery.
Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official and head of the group's negotiating team, said in a statement that Hamas is prepared to begin intensive negotiations immediately and engage seriously in talks aimed at ending the war, reaching a prisoner exchange deal, carrying out reconstruction, ending the blockade, and establishing an independent, professional body to govern the Gaza Strip to ensure that the region stays calm and stable for many years to come.
According to Gaza's health authorities, Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed at least 52,862 people since October 2023.
The United States informed Israel on Sunday that Hamas would release Alexander, a U.S. born soldier in the Israeli army, who was abducted on Oct. 7, 2023, in a Hamas-led raid on southern Israel that resulted in the kidnapping of 251 people and the killing of about 1,200 others.
Alexander is the last surviving hostage with U.S. citizenship, out of the remaining 59 hostages in Gaza, of whom Israel believes at least 21 are still alive.
Israel to send delegation to Qatar for Gaza talks: PM
