China's Outbound Investment Slumps 46% as Company Spree Curbed
- Ministry of Commerce says ‘irrational investment’ declined
- Foreign direct investment little changed in first half
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China’s outbound investment slumped in the first half of the year as policy makers imposed curbs on companies’ foreign acquisitions following a record spending spree in 2016.
Outward direct investment dropped to $48.19 billion in the six-month period, down 45.8 percent from a year ago, the Ministry of Commerce said Thursday. Spending fell 11.3 percent to $13.6 billion in June alone, the data show. Foreign direct investment fell 0.1 percent in yuan terms in the first half, to 441.5 billion yuan, according to the ministry.