China remains leading investor in Pakistan in July

Islamabad: China remained the leading investor in Pakistan for July 2023, contributing a total of US $18 million in direct investments.

Following behind, China’s Hong Kong and the Netherlands invested US $16.9 million and $12.1 million respectively, according to data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Friday afternoon

China’s direct investment saw a significant year-over-year increase of 2.55 times compared to US $7.1 million in July 2022.

Similarly, Hong Kong and the Netherlands recorded substantial year-on-year (YoY) growth rates of 14.53 times and 2.51 times respectively for direct investments during the month.

In terms of investment inflows from China, there was a remarkable 95.2% YoY increase in comparison to July 2022, while outflows also experienced a rise of 54.24% YoY.

Other notable contributors to foreign direct investment (FDI) were the United States, the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E), and Switzerland, with net FDI amounts of US $11.2 million, US $10.5 million, and US $9.6 million respectively for the month.

Additionally, Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI), which involves equity market investments, displayed a net investment of US $22.3 million. The United States emerged as the primary investor for the month, injecting US $7.9 million, followed by Sweden with US $3 million, and the U.A.E with US $2.3 million.