BEIJING - Chinese companies abroad hired 118,000 more local employees in 2016 than in 2015, according to the country's top economic planner.

The number of local employees working for Chinese companies abroad rose to more than 1.3 million last year, said Zhou Xiaofei, deputy secretary-general of the National Development and Reform Commission, at the 2017 International Industrial Capacity Cooperation Forum and the 9th China Overseas Investment Fair, held in Beijing.

China's global outbound direct investment, which includes corporate mergers, acquisitions and start-ups, reached nearly $1.4 trillion by the end of 2016.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) into the Chinese mainland added up to $1.8 trillion by the end of last year, according to Zhou.

FDI into the Chinese mainland claimed has been third highest in the world for nine years in a row.

"Foreign-funded enterprises contributed one-fourth of the country's industrial output, one-fifth of its treasury income and one-tenth of urban employment," Zhou said.