Companies in Shanghai Free Trade Zone accounted for nearly half of all outbound investment from the city in 2015.

Last year, Shanghai’s outbound investment increased 3.8 times compared with 2014 and made up 14.1 percent of the national total, ranking Shanghai first among all provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions.

Companies in the FTZ invested US$7.9 billion in 636 overseas projects last year, 13 times the 2014 figure and 48 percent of the city’s total outbound investment.

Top investment destinations include Hong Kong, Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands, the United States, Singapore, Australia, Britain, Israel and Canada.

Top industries for investment include software, IT services, telecommunications, electronics, pharmaceuticals, real estate, hospitality, agriculture, engineering and foreign trade. Investment in real estate is growing rapidly.

Outbound investment is good for Pudong’s industrial restructuring, foreign trade, and the training of multinational company executives, said an official with the Pudong Commerce Commission.

Source: Shanghai FTZ Government.cn