BEIJING - China's foreign investment and cooperation saw steady growth in 2024, an official with the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Sunday.

The country's non-financial outbound direct investment rose 10.5 percent year on year to $143.85 billion last year, with investments in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries increasing by 12.6 percent year-on-year, according to the official.

Investments in leasing, business services, manufacturing, and wholesale and retail sectors drove the growth. The turnover of China's foreign contracted projects totaled $165.97 billion in 2024, an increase of 3.1 percent year-on-year, the official said.

In 2024, the number of workers dispatched abroad reached 409,000, a 17.9 percent increase year-on-year, with a total of 594,000 Chinese workers employed overseas by the end of the year.

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Non-financial investment in countries along the Belt and Road increased by 5.4 percent year-on-year to $33.69 billion last year, MOC data showed.