BEIJING — China's non-financial outbound direct investment (ODI) went down 7.9 percent year-on-year in the first two months of 2021, official data showed on March 18.

The ODI amounted to 99.38 billion yuan (about $15.36 billion) in the period, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

Investment into the Belt and Road Initiative partner countries increased 12.1 percent year-on-year to reach $3.05 billion, accounting for 19.9 percent of the total ODI during the period. The proportion expanded 2.4 percentage points from the same period last year.

Outbound investment flowing into the manufacturing industry and information transmission industry posted robust growth in the first two months, the data showed.

The ODI from China's local enterprises reached $11.86 billion, up 3.2 percent year-on-year, accounting for 77.2 percent of the total ODI in the period.

The contract value of newly signed overseas projects dropped 7.8 percent year-on-year to $30.63 billion, according to the ministry.