China's investment in countries involved in Belt and Road Initiative increases

China's investment and trade with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative have been growing quickly, a recent report says.

The 2017 Chinese Companies' Overseas Sustainable Development, released by the Institute of Overseas Investment and Economic Cooperation, under the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Commerce, says that investment in Belt and Road countries grew to $18.9 billion in 2015, 38.6 percent more than the previous year.

In 2016, China's trade volume with Belt and Road countries reached $955.5 billion, of which service trade was $122.2 billion.

Chinese companies also signed 8,158 projects contracts worth $126 billion in 2016 with 61 such countries. Moreover, there are 56 cooperation centers under construction.

Liang Guining, director of the Institute of Overseas Investment and Economic Cooperation, said that Chinese companies going global would help countries upgrade their industries and could also help push forward China's trade with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.

"Moreover, China's investment has already created more than 180,000 jobs for countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative," she said. "And Chinese companies also pay more attention to the transfer of technology and sharing know-how with involved countries."