BEIJING — Foreign direct investment (FDI) into the Chinese mainland expanded 8 percent year-on-year to reach 95.17 billion yuan (about $14.2 billion) in March, the Ministry of Commerce said on April 18.

During the first quarter, FDI inflow rose 6.5 percent from one year earlier to 242.28 billion yuan, the MOC said in a statement.

In dollar terms, FDI inflow grew 3.7 percent year-on-year to $35.8 billion during the three-month period.

The number of new overseas-funded companies established between January and March reached 9,616, MOC data showed.

Investment in high-tech industries rose 50.6 percent year-on-year and accounted for 27.5 percent of the total FDI, with the high-tech manufacturing sector attracting 25.97 billion yuan in overseas investment, up 14.8 percent.

China’s pilot free trade zones saw FDI inflow up 10.5 percent year-on-year during the first quarter, accounting for 10.3 percent of the total FDI.

MOC data showed that FDI from Germany surged the most at a rate of 86.1 percent from one year earlier, while that from the Republic of Korea and the Netherlands jumped 79.6 percent and 74.2 percent, respectively.