China’s inward foreign direct investment (FDI) data for July recorded a 1.6% decline, compared with a 9.7% increase in the year to June. That completes a notably weak set of economic data released on Friday, especially with a sharp slowdown in aggregate financing.

For the first seven months of the year, there was a 4.3% annual increase compared with 5.1% for June. There has been a consistent underlying slowdown in FDI levels during 2016, with a rate of 7.9% seen in the first seven months of 2015; and only a very limited recovery from the 2.7% seen in the first two months of 2016.

Overall investment levels will continue to cause concern with fixed asset investment weakening to an annual growth rate of 8.1% for the first seven months of 2016 from 9.0% previously.