Foreign direct investment (FDI) into the Chinese mainland fell sharply again in July, slumping 16.95 percent from a year earlier to 7.81 billion U.S. dollars, the Ministry of Commerce said on Monday.
The sharp decline was in contrast with a mere 0.2-percent seen in June, according to the ministry.
For the first seven months, the FDI, which excludes investment in the financial sector, stood at 71.14 billion U.S. dollars, down 0.35 percent from the same period last year, it said.