China is the place to invest for many foreign companies and investors. The Ministry of Commerce says overseas companies are showing more confidence in investing in China, with one figure in particular setting a record high for 2018. CGTN's Wang Hui explains.

In a year when overseas markets pose concerns for the global economy, many of them still continue to invest in China. The Chinese Commerce Ministry says foreign direct investment in China rose 3 percent for 2018, to nearly 135 billion US dollars. December alone saw a 23 percent jump of nearly 14 billion. Investment in China's manufacturing industry contributed over 30 percent to the total FDI. And investment in high-tech areas saw particularly fast growth: 35% on a year-on-year basis.

TANG WENHONG, SENIOR OFFICIAL CHINESE COMMERCE MINISTRY "International capitals speak highly about China's high-quality development. As Chinese people are pursuing higher-quality lives, the country's economic structure will head towards high-end products. So, I think foreign investors will invest in and benefit from this huge and strong market."

Tang says it shows strong trends in the major sourcing countries and regions. Overseas, the US's FDI increased 7.7%. Investment from the European Union grew 23%, and the FDI from Belt and Road related countries rose 13%. There were nearly 1,700 big foreign-invested projects, meaning those with capital of over 50-million dollars. Beijing says this figure signals a good 2019 in foreign direct investment.

TANG WENHONG, SENIOR OFFICIAL CHINESE COMMERCE MINISTRY "Investment in big projects saw a 23 percent growth, which is a leading indicator and a good sign. It also shows that foreign investors are fully confident about the Chinese market."

Wang Hui, CGTN, Beijing.