Foreign direct investment into China hit a two-year low in July, reflecting, in part, global investor concern over slowing growth.

Ministry of Commerce officials insisted that the decline was temporary, while economists proposed long-term measures to address the drop.

FDI fell by 8.7 percent from a year earlier to $7.58 billion in July, the smallest inflow since July 2010 and the eighth drop in nine months, the Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday. May saw a slight rise.