BEIJING - Foreign direct investment (FDI) in the Chinese mainland continued to rise in the first four months of the year, according to data released by the Ministry of Commerce on Tuesday.

FDI, which excludes investment in the financial sector, rose 4.8 percent year on year to 286.78 billion yuan ($45.3 billion) in the Jan-April period, the ministry said.

Investment in the service sector accounted for 70.2 percent of the total inflow during the period, reaching 201.4 billion yuan.

FDI in the high-tech service industry soared 108.6 percent year on year to 32.53 billion yuan in the four months.

Investment from countries relating to the Belt and Road Initiative remained robust, up by 19.6 percent to $2.51 billion.

In April, FDI grew 6 percent year on year to 62.57 billion yuan, the data showed.