China received 54.2 billion yuan (US$8.49 billion) in foreign direct investment (FDI) in August, up by 22 percent from the prior-year period, the country’s Ministry of Commerce announced on Thursday.

In the first eight months of 2015, China’s inbound FDI totalled US$82.4 billion, up by 9.2 percent from a year earlier.

The ministry pointed out that the services sector was the main driver of inward FDI growth, which expanded at a rate of 20.1 percent in the January to August period. The high-tech service industry segment drew in US$5.51 billion in the first eight months, up by 59.1 percent from a year earlier, while the modern manufacturing sector attracted US$6.57 billion, an increase of 9.9 percent year-on-year.

China’s Premier Li Keqiang said this week that the Chinese Government would continue to ease rules for inward foreign investment, official news agency Xinhua reported.

Meanwhile, China’s National Bureau of Statistics said on Thursday that the consumer price index in August rose to a year high of 2 percent, while the producer price index fell by the most in six years to 5.9 percent.