The inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI) to China will maintain a steady growth this year, said the Chinese Ministry of Commerce on Tuesday.

The annual FDI “may not increase very fast but will maintain the growth momentum seen last year and in the first quarter of this year,” said Shen Danyang, spokesperson of the Ministry, quoted by Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua.

FDI to China jumped 6.4 percent year-on-year in 2015 but it slowed to a growth of 4.5 percent in the first quarter of this year, official figures showed.

Mr Shen added the Chinese Government continued to welcome foreign investment through mergers and acquisitions, which was a main driving force for FDI growth.

Investment inflow via mergers and acquisitions rose 32.6 percent year-on-year to US$7.8 billion in the first quarter of this year. It accounted for 22.7 percent of the total FDI in the January to March period, Xinhua reported.