China FDI Continues to Contract

Foreign direct investment (FDI) into China fell 9.5% to CNY 747.77 billion in 2025, following a sharp 24.7% decline in 2024 and marking the third consecutive year of contraction. Despite the overall downturn, investment from Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates and the UK rose significantly, up 66.8%, 27.3% and 15.9%, respectively. By sector, manufacturing attracted RMB 185.51 billion in FDI, while the services sector accounted for RMB 545.12 billion. Investment in high-tech industries totalled RMB 241.77 billion, with notable gains in e-commerce services (+75%), medical equipment and machinery manufacturing (+42.1%), and aerospace equipment manufacturing (+22.9%). Meanwhile, 70,392 new foreign-invested enterprises were established nationwide, representing a 19.1% year-on-year increase.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) into China declined 7.5% year-on-year to CNY 693.18 billion in the first eleven months of 2025, extending the streak of contractions that began in May 2023, though the drop was the softest since August 2023. In a sharp turnaround, actual utilized FDI in November surged 26.1% year-on-year. By sector, manufacturing attracted CNY 171.72 billion, while services accounted for CNY 506.29 billion of inbound investment. Meanwhile, CNY 221.26 billion was directly channeled into technology industries, with notable growth in e-commerce services, medical instruments and equipment manufacturing, and aerospace equipment manufacturing. By country of origin, Switzerland led FDI growth (+67%), followed by the United Arab Emirates (+47.6%) and the United Kingdom (+19.3%).

Foreign direct investment (FDI) into China fell by 10.3% to CNY 621.93 billion on the year to October of 2025, extending the two-and-a-half-year ongoing streak of contractions, albeit at the softest magnitude since December of 2023. The allocation of foreign direct investment to manufacturing was CNY 161.91 billion, while that for services was CNY 445.82 billion. In the meantime, CNY 192.52 of foreign capital was directly invested in technological industries. The largest source of investment was the United Arab Emirates, totaling nearly half of all inflow, while the UK and Switzerland also placed notable investments.