BEIJING, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Foreign direct investment (FDI) into the Chinese mainland saw steady growth in the first eight months of 2018, official data showed Thursday.

FDI inflow rose 2.3 percent year on year to 560.4 billion yuan during the eight-month period, according to Gao Feng, spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce (MOC).

In dollar terms, FDI inflow grew 6.1 percent to 86.5 billion U.S. dollars during the period, Gao said.

In August alone, FDI inflow went up 1.9 percent year on year to 63.7 billion yuan.

The number of new overseas-funded companies established in the January-August period surged 102.7 percent from a year earlier to 41,331, MOC data showed.

Investment into high-tech industries rose 6.6 percent year on year and accounted for 21.9 percent of the total FDI, with the high-tech manufacturing sector attracting 56.3 billion yuan in overseas investment, up 29.2 percent.

China's 11 pilot free trade zones saw FDI inflow up 19.3 percent to 70.2 billion yuan, accounting for 12.5 percent of the total FDI.

Investment from countries along the Belt and Road surged 26.3 percent, while other major FDI sources also witnessed fast growth, Gao said.

China has rolled out a number of measures to significantly broaden market access since the beginning of 2018, a year that marks the 40th anniversary of the country's reform and opening-up policy.

In late June, China unveiled a shortened negative list for foreign investment, which cuts the number of items on the list to 48 from 63 in the previous version and detailed 22 opening-up measures in several sectors.