BEIJING - China's foreign direct investment (FDI) rose by 18.57 percent year on year to $69.19 billion in the seven months of this year, the Ministry of Commerce said Tuesday.

In July alone, a total of $8.297 billion of FDI was brought to China, up 19.83 percent year on year, said the ministry in a statement on its website.

This compares to a 2.83 percent year on year growth in June.

China approved the establishment of 15,600 foreign-invested companies during the January-July period, up 7.89 percent year on year, according to the MOC.

In July alone, China approved 2,138 foreign-invested companies to start business operations, an increase of 2.69 percent from the same month last year.