Foreign direct investment in China rose 15% year-on-year to US$8.5 billion in April, as firms including Starbucks (SBUX.NASDAQ) and Walt Disney Company (DIS.NYSE) expand their presence to tap rising disposable incomes, Bloomberg reported. April FDI growth was slower than in March, when it rose nearly 33%, the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement on Tuesday. Analysts say foreign companies are targeting Chinese consumers as earnings rise and urbanization increases. For the first four months of 2011, FDI totaled US$38.8 billion. Construction for the US$4.4 billion Shanghai Disney Resort started in April, while Starbucks is planning to expand its presence to 70 Chinese cities from its current 35.