BEIJING - China's non-financial outbound direct investment (ODI) continued to see strong growth in the first four months of 2018, official data showed Thursday.

Domestic investors made $35.58 billion of non-financial ODI in 2,459 overseas enterprises in 144 countries and regions in January-April, the Ministry of Commerce said.

The investment was up 34.9 percent from the same period last year, the ministry said.

ODI in countries along the Belt and Road rose 17.3 percent from a year earlier to $4.67 billion during the first four months.

The structure of outbound investment continued to improve, with investment mainly going to sectors of business service, mining, manufacturing, software and information technology services, among others. No new projects were reported in sectors such as property development, sports, and entertainment.

Noting the irrational tendency in outbound investment, authorities have set stricter rules and advised companies to make investment decisions more carefully.