China's foreign exchange regulator has increased the amount of capital foreign companies can invest in domestic securities under the qualified foreign institutional investor (QFII) program from US$10 billion to US$30 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported. The announcement comes a few days before US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and others arrive for the third round of the US-China Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED). Beijing had promised the increase at the last SED meeting earlier this year. In a separate statement, the government also announced plans to increase the amount Chinese investors could invest in overseas securities markets under the related qualified domestic institutional investor (QDII) scheme, though a specific amount was not mentioned.