In the first four months of 2006, China saw a foreign direct investment (FDI) of 18.48 billion US dollars, up 5.76 percent over the same period last year, said sources with the Ministry of Commerce on Monday.

In the first four months, 12,639 foreign firms were authorized to be established in China, down 3.46 percent from the same periodof last year.

Hong Kong was ranked first with its investment totaling 5.36 billion US dollars. Japan and the United States, listed the third and the sixth respectively, have posted investments in China of 1.552 billion and 837 million US dollars .

In the first four months, the top ten countries and regions that invested the most in the Chinese mainland also include British Virgin Islands, the Republic of Korea, Germany, Taiwan, Cayman Islands, Singapore and Samoa.

Statistics show in the first four months of 2005, the contracted foreign investment reached 50.152 billion US dollars, 8.03 percent higher over the same 2004 period and foreign investment actually utilized was 17.473 billion US dollars.