BEIJING — China's non-financial outbound direct investment (ODI) dropped 8.2 percent year-on-year in 2019, the Ministry of Commerce said on Jan 21.

Non-financial ODI stood at $110.6 billion last year, Vic-Minister of Commerce Qian Keming said at a press conference.

Of the total, $15 billion went to countries along the Belt and Road, accounting for 13.6 percent of the total and the ratio was 0.6 percentage points higher year-on-year.

The structure of ODI continued to improve, with investment mainly going into sectors including leasing and business services, manufacturing, wholesale and retail, according to the ministry.