Foreign bank investments in China's lenders had surpassed their Chinese counterparts' overseas investments by the end of 2010, China Business News reported Monday.

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Data from China's central banks suggest that five Chinese banks had invested $9.81 billion in six overseas institutions by the end of 2010. Seven Chinese banks have set up 54 overseas branches, three opened 18 subsidiary banks and eight formed 23 subsidiary corporations, according to the report.

Investments from foreign banks in the country's financial institutions were larger than those of their Chinese competitors. The newspaper reported that 41 foreign investors had given $38.42 billion to 32 Chinese commercial banks as of the end of 2010. Of those investments, $5.42 billion was introduced in 2010.

Foreign assets of Chinese banks totaled 1.74 trillion yuan at the end of 2010 – an increase of 29.13 percent from a year ago. It accounted for 1.85 percent of the gross assets of Chinese financial institutions.

Aside from the 37 foreign-owned banks and two joint ventures in China, there were 216 deputy offices set up by banks from 45 countries and regions at the end of 2010, according to the report.