China's actual use of foreign direct investment (FDI) fell for the fifth consecutive month in February to US$5.83 billion, down 15.81 percent year on year, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) announced on Monday.

The ministry approved the establishment of 1,265 foreign-funded enterprises last month, down 13 percent from a year earlier, the MOC spokesman Yao Jian said.

Both the declines, however, were much slower than January's drops, Yao said.

The country's FDI use dropped 32.7 percent in January while the number of newly approved foreign-funded enterprises was down 48.7 percent from a year earlier.

The country actually used US$13.37 billion of FDI in the first two months this year, down 26.23 percent from a year earlier, Yao said.

(Xinhua News Agency March 16, 2009)