Zhitong Finance App learned that on September 23, the Ministry of Commerce, the National Bureau of Statistics and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange jointly issued the “2025 Statistical Bulletin on China's OFDI”. According to the “Communiqué”, in 2025, China's outward direct investment flow was US$213.58 billion, an increase of 11.1% over the previous year, and its foreign investment stock was 3.4 trillion US dollars. It remained in the top three in the world for 9 consecutive years, accounting for 7.4% of global investment. The foreign investment industry covers 18 industry categories in the national economy, mainly in the four fields of leasing and business services, wholesale and retail, manufacturing and finance. In recent years, it has gradually expanded steadily to green and low-carbon, digital economy, and green minerals.
The original text is as follows:
The Ministry of Commerce, the National Bureau of Statistics and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange jointly issued the “2025 Statistical Bulletin on China's OFDI”
On September 23, the Ministry of Commerce, the National Bureau of Statistics and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange jointly issued the “2025 Statistical Bulletin on China's OFDI” (hereinafter referred to as the “Communiqué”). The “Communiqué” is divided into six sections, including an overview of China's OFDI flows, China's FDI flow stock, China's direct investment in the world's major economies, composition of OFDI enterprises, and attached schedules, which comprehensively reflect China's OFDI situation in 2025. Foreign investment mainly shows the following characteristics:
First, the scale of outward direct investment has steadily ranked among the highest in the world, showing diversified investment trends. In 2025, China's outward direct investment flows were US$213.58 billion, an increase of 11.1% over the previous year, and its foreign investment stock was 3.4 trillion US dollars. It remained in the top three in the world for 9 consecutive years, accounting for 7.4% of global investment. The foreign investment industry covers 18 industry categories in the national economy, mainly in the four fields of leasing and business services, wholesale and retail, manufacturing and finance. In recent years, it has gradually expanded steadily to green and low-carbon, digital economy, and green minerals.
Second, mutual benefit and win-win results have been remarkable. By the end of 2025, China had set up 58,000 overseas enterprises, spread across 189 countries and regions. The total number of employees employed by overseas enterprises was 4.761 million, of which 2.965 million were employed. The active integration of Chinese enterprises overseas into the global and regional economy has not only boosted their own development and enhanced competitiveness, but also made important contributions to the host country's industrial development and the stability and security of the global production supply chain.
Third, the “Belt and Road” cooperation has been very fruitful. In 2025, Chinese enterprises directly invested 46.05 billion US dollars in the joint construction of the “Belt and Road” countries, accounting for 21.6% of the foreign investment flow in that year. 22,000 overseas enterprises were set up in the “Belt and Road” countries, with an investment stock of 407.25 billion US dollars. The “Belt and Road” initiative has built a broad platform for Chinese enterprises to invest abroad, and has achieved a good pattern of “consultation, co-construction and sharing”.
This article was edited by the Ministry of Commerce, Zhitong Finance Editor: Chen Wenfang.