Chinese overseas investment falls for first time on record

China posted its first ever drop in outward foreign direct investment in 2017, CNBC reports, citing a government report.

Total direct investment outflows fell 19.3% last year to $158 billion from $196 billion in 2016, according to official statistics. This marks the first year-on-year drop since records began in 2002.

Investment from Chinese companies has been stymied across the Western world amid concerns over national security and the transfer of key technologies to Beijing-linked entities, particularly in the US and Germany.

Meanwhile, the Chinese government has attempted to limit capital flight as the yuan continues to slide under shaky market confidence.

The drop was not across the board. While FDI to the US fell 62.1% to $6.43 billion in 2017, Europe received a 72.7% increase in Chinese investment from 2016, at $18.46 billion.