BEIJING - Foreign direct investment (FDI) into the Chinese mainland grew 9.2 percent year on year to 58.6 billion yuan ($8.5 billion) in February 2017, official data showed Thursday.

Total FDI in the first two months stood at 139 billion yuan, down 2.3 percent on the previous year, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said in an online statement.

Investment from European Union countries grew 13.8 percent in the first two months year on year, MOC said.

Most investment went to the service and manufacturing sectors, with investment in utility services rising 184 percent year on year.

Meanwhile, 1,850 new foreign-funded enterprises were established on Chinese mainland in February, up 33.3 percent on the same period last year.

Last year, China attracted $126 billion of foreign direct investment, the largest recipient among developing countries, data showed.