China to encourage more foreign investment in 2017

BEIJING - China will strengthen its efforts to introduce foreign investment in 2017, said a statement issued Friday after the Central Economic Work Conference.

Efforts will be made to build a law-based business environment, to promote the introduction of foreign investment, and to give better play to foreign-funded businesses their important role in promoting the development of the real economy, according to the statement.

The three-day conference, which concluded Friday, saw Chinese leaders and senior officials sketch out the country's guiding economic policies and priorities for the next year.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) in the Chinese mainland rose 3.9 percent year on year to reach 731.8 billion yuan ($113.79 billion) in the first 11 months this year, data from the Ministry of Commerce showed Thursday.