China dismisses concerns over outbound investment surge

BEIJING — The Commerce Ministry said on June 17 that the rapid increase in outbound investments was normal, dismissing concerns that such gains would intensify capital outflows.

Concerns have been raised that increased foreign exchange demand along with surges in outbound investment added pressure to foreign exchange reserves and international payments. “We are studying whether this will pose any risk and if we need to take targeted measures,” spokesperson Shen Danyang said at a news briefing.

China’s outbound investment would exceed foreign direct investment in the country this year, Shen said.

In the first five months of this year, outbound direct investment surged 61.9 percent year on year to 479.3 billion yuan ($74 billion), while foreign direct investment into the country rose only 3.8 percent to 343.6 billion yuan.