National FDI to grow slightly

Vice Minister of Commerce Ma Xiuhong said that 2004 foreign direct investment (FDI) will likely be on par with last year's US$53.5 billion due to economic cooling measures taken this year. The government has limited investment in the steel, cement and aluminum sectors, which were overheated. In the first five months of this year, FDI totaled US$25.9 billion, an increase of 11.3% from a year earlier. China's eastern provinces attracted 85% of the total investment this year.