China's Ministry of Commerce says the EU has surpassed Japan as the country's biggest source of imports. China is also currently the EU's largest trading partner.

Overall investment from European and Asian countries continues to rise, while US investment in China has shrunk. Statistics from the Ministry of Commerce indicate more than 4-thousand new overseas enterprises invested in China's service sector during the first four months of 2011, a near 7-percent increase year on year. Total foreign investment in the service sector hit 18-billion US dollars, a 31-percent rise.

Experts say China's ability to attract foreign investment will continue to grow. But they also highlight the need to improve the foreign investment environment in the country.