China said Monday the materialized foreign direct investment fell 1.52 percent on year to US$42.59 billion in the first three quarters of the year.

Nine months into the year, China approved a total of 30,021 foreign-funded companies, down 6.83 percent from the same 2005 period, said the Ministry of Commerce spokesman Chong Quan.

September's FDI, however, reversed the trend, climbing 2.72 percent to US$5.4 billion, as 3,794 foreign-funded firms were given the nod for establishment.

(Xinhua News Agency October 17, 2006)