China's actual use of foreign direct investment (FDI) reached US$47.2 billion in the first nine months, up 10.87 percent year-on-year, the Ministry of Commerce announced on Friday.

The country approved the establishment of 28,206 foreign-funded companies in the same period, down 6.05 percent from a year earlier.

In September alone, China actually used US$5.27 billion in FDI, down 2.36 percent, and approved the establishment of 3,358 foreign-funded companies, down 11.49 percent.

The top ten sources of FDI to the Chinese mainland are Hong Kong, British Virgin Islands, the Republic of Korea, Japan, Singapore, the United States, Cayman Islands, Samoa, Taiwan and Mauritius.

The top ten investors accounted for 86.73 percent of the total FDI in the nine months. Among them, the United States recorded a decrease of 16.41 percent in the number of enterprises it established in China, and a drop of 2.88 percent in FDI.

(Xinhua News Agency October 13, 2007)