Foreign direct investment in China will keep growing in 2013 despite external uncertainties, Vice-Minister of?Commerce Wang Chao told a forum on Tuesday in Hong Kong.

Wang added that the mainland's economy was developing well, on the whole, and the growth pickup will be extended. The mainland retains its comprehensive advantage in FDI and remains the top investment destination for transnational companies.

FDI in China in March rose 5.65 percent from a year earlier to $12.42 billion, the second consecutive monthly growth after February reversed an eight-month slump with a rise of 6.3 percent, according to the Ministry of Commerce. FDI in the first quarter of 2013 gained 1.4 percent year-on-year to $29.9 billion, the ministry said.