CHONGQING, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Southwest China's metropolis of Chongqing approved 36 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects in the first quarter this year, up 9.1 percent year-on-year, the municipal statistics bureau announced on Tuesday.

During the January-March period, FDI contracts totaled 768 million U.S. dollars of foreign funds, up 21.3 percent year-on-year, according to the bureau.

The municipality actually utilized 967 million dollars of foreign funds in the first three months, up 83.1 percent from a year ago.

The statistics bureau said authorities in Chongqing also approved 13 new joint venture projects during the period.