China attracted 54.7 billion yuan (US$8.8 billion) in foreign direct investment (FDI) in October, a rise of 4.2 percent from the previous year, China’s Ministry of Commerce said on Wednesday. But the year-on-year growth slowed from the 7.1-percent increase recorded in September.

In the first ten months of 2015, FDI inflows to China jumped 8.6 percent from a year earlier to US$100.3 billion, the ministry said.

The growth in such investment by foreigners was focused on the services sector. It attracted US$63.4 billion in FDI for the January-October period – a year-on-year expansion of 19.4 percent. During the same period, FDI in the manufacturing sector amounted to US$32.6 billion, edging up 0.2 percent from the previous year.

The ministry also noted an increase in the number of foreign firms investing in China via mergers and acquisitions. Such activity accounted for 15.4 percent of total FDI to China in the first ten months of 2015, an increase of 6 percentage points from a year earlier.