China Outbound Investment Expands as Nation Boosts Global Clout

China’s long-term outbound investment is catching up with inbound foreign investment, bringing the country closer to becoming a net exporter of funds as it boosts its global economic clout.

Outbound investment in yuan terms jumped 29.2 percent in the first half from a year earlier, dwarfing the 8.3 percent gain in foreign direct investment inflows, the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement in Beijing on Tuesday. Total outward investment was 343.2 billion yuan ($55 billion) during the period, compared with 420.5 billion yuan in FDI.