BEIJING, April 20 -- China's non-financial outbound direct investment (ODI) rose 26.3 percent year on year to 215.97 billion yuan in the first quarter of the year, official data showed Thursday.

In U.S. dollar terms, the ODI stood at 31.54 billion U.S. dollars in the period, up 17.2 percent from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

In the first three months of 2023, outbound investment in wholesale and retail grew 31.4 percent from a year ago to 7.16 billion dollars, while that into transportation, warehouses and postal services climbed 24.4 percent to 1.48 billion dollars.

Outbound investment in sectors such as manufacturing and construction also expanded, the data showed.

During the period, the non-financial ODI in countries along the Belt and Road came in at 5.76 billion dollars, up 9.5 percent year on year, the ministry said.