Ministry of Commerce officials said that the increase in investment in northeastern provinces was not excessive and reflected the actual growth going on there. In the first five months of the year, Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces reported increases in actual foreign direct investment (FDI) of 28%, 30% and 43% respectively. National FDI grew 11.3% over the period to a total of US$26 billion. Contracted FDI in Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces rose by 118%, 138% and 58%.