China's fixed assets investment totaled 11.6246 trillion yuan (US$1.66 trillion) in the first nine months, up 27.0 percent from the same period last year, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Monday.

The growth rate was 0.7 percentage points higher than the first half of this year, or 1.3 percentage points higher than the year-earlier level.

Investment in urban areas grew 27.6 percent to 9.9871 trillion yuan, 1.2 percentage points higher than the same period of last year, and rural fixed assets investment rose 23.3 percent to 1.6375 trillion yuan, 2.1 percentage points higher.

Statistics from the NBS showed urban fixed asset investment rose 22.7 percent in China's eastern areas, 35.4 percent in the central areas and 29.5 percent in the western regions.

(Xinhua News Agency October 20, 2008)