(Yicai Global) June 16 -- China will take a series of significant foreign investment measures, including issuing the newly-revised Catalog for the Guidance of Foreign Investment Industries, the Ministry of Commerce announced June 15.

It seeks to deepen the pilot test in foreign capital field in free trade areas, to provide better services and to create a better environment for foreign investment into China.

In May, 2,433 new foreign investment enterprises formed in China, for an annual decline of 5.4 percent, and the actual use of foreign capital was about USD8 billion (CNY54.67 billion), a drop of 3.7 percent, data released on the same day shows. From January to May, 12,159 new foreign-invested enterprises were established in China, for annual growth of 11.9 percent, with the actual use of foreign capital of CNY341.1 billion, or a drop of 0.7 percent.

The Director of the Ministry of Commerce Foreign Investment Department noted that in January to May the foreign investment the nation attraction exhibited the following characteristics:

Foreign investment attracted by high-tech services keeps rising. The actual use of foreign investment in high-tech services was CNY48.6 billion, recording annual growth of 20.5 percent. The actual use of foreign capital increased in information services, research and development and design services, and scientific and technological achievements by 15.9 percent, 4.8 percent and 69.3 percent, respectively.

Other modern services, such as transportation, warehousing and postal services grew 19.9 percent compared with the previous year. The information transmission, computer service and software industries grew 16.8 percent, leasing and business services recorded annual growth of 32.7 percent, and scientific research, technical services and geological prospecting industries saw annual growth of 26 percent.

The chemical raw materials and chemical products manufacturing industry rose by 27 percent over the previous year and general equipment manufacturing showed a growth of 46.6 percent.

Hong Kong, Taiwan and the 28 EU member countries increased their actual investment by 12.7 percent, 41.8 percent and 6.2 percent (including free port investment by these countries/regions), respectively.