Overseas direct investment may soar

Indicator may touch $60b this year as more firms spread wings

China's overseas direct investment (ODI) may see a double-digit growth this year to around $60 billion, on the back of government support and overseas expansion plans of domestic firms, officials from the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said yesterday.

Though foreign direct investment slumped worldwide in 2009, China's ODI in the non-financial sectors rose 6.5 percent from a year earlier to $43.3 billion.