In 2024, China's outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) reached an impressive $192.2 billion, reflecting an 8.4 percent year-on-year increase. This achievement solidifies China's position as a leading global investor for the 13th consecutive year, while sustaining a global share that exceeds 10 percent for the past nine years, as revealed in an official report.

The report underscores the diversification of China's investment strategies, which are crucial in promoting economic cooperation and mutual benefits worldwide. This adaptability is evidently aided by initiatives such as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and a dynamic private sector that plays an integral role in enhancing global supply chains.

China's outbound foreign direct investment constituted 11.9 percent of the total global OFDI in 2024, marking a slight increase from the previous year. By the end of 2024, China's cumulative OFDI stock reached $3.14 trillion, securing its rank as the third-largest global investor for eight consecutive years, as reported by several governmental agencies.

Highlighting the global economic contributions of China's OFDI, the report noted that it spurred $211 billion in goods exports during 2024, which signifies a 13 percent annual increase and represents a notable 5.9 percent of China's overall export total.

The impact of Chinese enterprises abroad is significant, as they reported $3.6 trillion in total sales, contributed $82.1 billion in taxes to host countries, and provided employment to 5.02 million individuals globally, with a vast majority being local hires, thereby bolstering local economies.

Demonstrating their global outreach, Chinese investors have established 52,000 overseas enterprises across 190 countries and regions, with 19,000 located in BRI partner nations. This widespread presence indicates not only the ambition but also the commitment of Chinese enterprises on the international stage.

These enterprises showed strong financial performance, reinvesting $77.8 billion in profits back into local markets, which accounted for 40.5 percent of OFDI flows. Furthermore, 70 percent reported profitability or managed to break-even, illustrating solid operational success.

The report elaborated on the breadth of China's investment sectors, indicating that these investments span across all 18 sectors of the economy, with over 80 percent concentrated in five predominant areas: wholesale and retail, leasing and business services, manufacturing, finance, and mining, each exceeding $10 billion.

Notably, construction investments observed an impressive growth of 80.5 percent year-on-year, while investments in information technology and software services surged by a remarkable 205.5 percent, reflecting the evolving nature of China's investment landscape.

China's outbound investments have seen significant growth across various regions, with Asia attracting nearly 80 percent of the total OFDI in 2024. The ASEAN region alone received over $34 billion, a notable increase of 36.8 percent, while Latin America, Europe, and Oceania also experienced substantial growth.

The report highlights that private-sector entities and local firms have been significant contributors to this growth, with state-owned enterprises alone investing $91.37 billion—an increase of 24.6 percent. Local enterprises, particularly from regions such as Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Shandong, invested $108.43 billion, surpassing the overall national growth rate.