According to the Ministry of Commerce, by the end of 2011, Chinese companies had invested US$322 trillion in 18,000 businesses in over 178 foreign countries. There were close to 1.2 million expatriates stationed overseas and the cumulative capital investment exceeded US$1,500 trillion.
Of those regions where China invested, the investments in European and African countries grew 57.3% and 58.9% respectively, compared to the same period last year. China’s investment in EU countries grew by 94.1%. The areas in which China invested consisted mainly of coal mining, manufacturing, electricity production and supplies, transportation, and retail industries.
Source: China Economic Net, March 1, 2012
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