BEIJING — Foreign direct investment (FDI) into the Chinese mainland expanded 6.5 percent year-on-year to 683.21 billion yuan in the first three quarters of the year, an official with the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said on Oct 17.

In US dollar terms, FDI inflow grew 2.9 percent year-on-year to 100.78 billion dollars during the period, MOC spokesperson Gao Feng told a news conference.

FDI in September alone reached 79.18 billion yuan, up 3.8 percent year-on-year.

During the past nine months, a total of 30,871 new foreign-funded enterprises were established.

Foreign investment in high-tech industries surged 39.8 percent year-on-year to 203.8 billion yuan, accounting for nearly 30 percent of the total FDI.

During the period, China's pilot free trade zones saw FDI inflow reach 98.84 billion yuan, accounting for 14.5 percent of the total FDI.

FDI inflow from Macao skyrocketed 51.4 percent during the first nine months, while investment from Southeast Asian nations and the countries along the Belt and Road maintained fast growth of 17.5 percent and 14.9 percent, respectively.