Outbound direct investment was up 11.1% in 2025 compared to the previous year, making China the world’s second-largest source of global capital, behind only the US and ranking ahead of Japan, according to an annual report jointly issued by the Ministry of Commerce and two other state economic bodies on Wednesday.
This growth was partly driven by stronger investment in technology-related industries. Investment in information transmission, software and information technology services surged 88.3 per cent to reach C$18.5 billion (us$13.1b) as Chinese companies expanded their presence in such sectors abroad.
Bucking that trend was direct investment to the US, which fell 71.3% to C$2.7 billion (US$1.91b) – down sharply from about C$9.36 billion (US$6.63b) in 2024 and the lowest level since 2011. The US accounted for only 0.9% of China’s total outbound direct investment in 2025, according to the report.
