Foreign direct investment (FDI) into the Chinese mainland rose 2.3 percent year-on-year to 560.43 billion yuan ($81.82) in the first eight months of 2018, the Ministry of Commerce announced.

The number of new overseas-funded companies established in the January-August period surged 102.7 percent from a year earlier to 41,331, official data showed.

FDI attracted by China's manufacturing sector grew by 8.7 percent year-on-year to 172.12 billion yuan from January to August, continuing an encouraging growth pace.

China's outbound direct investment volume from the nonfinancial sector increased 7.8 percent year-on-year to $74.09 billion in the first eight months of this year, while Chinese companies invested in 4,309 businesses in 153 countries and regions throughout the world.