BEIJING - China's investment is playing an increasingly prominent role in promoting economic development worldwide, data from the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) showed on Wednesday.

In 2023, outbound direct investment drove $273.1 billion of China's import and export of goods, accounting for 4.6 percent of the total value, said Zhang Li, an official with the MOC, while introducing a yearly statistical bulletin.

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China's overseas enterprises achieved sales revenue of $3.5 trillion and paid $75.3 billion in taxes to the places where they invested last year, said Zhang.

From 2013 to 2023, China's overseas enterprises have paid $518.4 billion in taxes to host countries, providing about 2 million jobs, he said.

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In 2023, China's outbound investment reached $177.29 billion, accounting for 11.4 percent of the global total and ranking among the top three for 12 consecutive years, said Zhang.