The China-Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) Business Cooperation Demonstration Zone registered a sharp rise in trade between China and CEECs in the first four months of this year, with the total trade volume reaching 19.91 billion yuan (approximately 2.8 billion U.S. dollars), official data showed.
According to figures released this week, imports from CEEC surged 83.9 percent year on year in the four-month period, driven largely by strong demand for agricultural products.
Exports to the region climbed 87.5 percent over the same period, with high-tech products accounting for a significant share of outbound shipments.
China-CEEC business zone registers sharp growth in trade in January-April
China saw 20,113 newly established foreign-funded firms in the January-April period, up 6.8 percent year on year, with actual foreign investment hitting 287.69 billion yuan (about 42 billion U.S. dollars), data released by the Ministry of Commerce showed on Saturday.
High-tech sectors saw notable foreign investment growth. Actual use of foreign investment in these industries reached 116.33 billion yuan (about 17 billion U.S. dollars), up more than 20 percent year on year and accounting for over 40 percent of the national total — a rise of 10 percentage points from a year earlier.
Research, development and design services, computer and office equipment manufacturing, and electronic and communication equipment manufacturing all posted strong growth. By country, Switzerland, France, and the U.S. saw significant increases in actual investment in China.
Currently, China's total accumulated foreign direct investment exceeds 3.6 trillion U.S. dollars.
The vast majority of foreign-invested enterprises already in China have chosen to deepen their presence and continue expanding their investment. In the first four months of this year, more than 3,000 foreign-funded firms made additional investments.
High-tech foreign investment in China up 20.3 pct in first four months
