BEIJING, Feb. 16 -- China used 9.997 billion U.S. dollars of foreign direct investment (FDI) in January, down 0.3 percent year-on-year, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Thursday.

Shen Danyang, spokesman for the MOC, said at a regular news briefing on Thursday that FDI in the country's cropping and livestock sectors rose significantly in January while that in both the manufacturing and service sectors dropped on a yearly basis.

Investment from the United States and other Asian countries and regions increased while that from the European Union fell.

The central and western regions registered a faster growth of FDI compared to the eastern region

In January, the nation approved the establishment of 1,402 foreign-invested companies, down 37 percent year-on-year, said Shen.