BEIJING - China made actual use of its $12.24 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) in December, down 12.73 percent year-on-year, the Ministry of Commerce said Wednesday.

FDI in China reached $116.01 billion in 2011, up 9.72 percent year-on-year, the ministry said.

Investment from the European Union and the United States fell, while that from other Asian countries and regions increased, said Shen Danyang, the ministry's spokesman.

FDI from the United States declined 26.07 percent year-on-year to $3 billion in 2011, while investment from the EU dropped 3.65 percent to $6.35 billion.

Capital inflow from 10 Asian nations and regions, including Japan, Thailand and Singapore, climbed 13.99 percent to $100.52.

FDI in China's western regions grew faster than that in the country's eastern and central areas last year, although eastern China remained the biggest destination for FDI, accounting for 83.27 percent of all foreign investment in China.

West China attracted $11.57 billion in FDI, up 28.24 percent year-on-year, compared with an increase of 7.51 percent in the east and 14.26 percent in central China.

The country's service industry registered faster growth and a larger amount of FDI than the manufacturing sector.

In 2011, China approved the establishment of 27,712 foreign-invested companies, up 1.12 percent year-on-year, said Shen.

The country's outbound direct investment, excluding that of the financial sector, rose 1.8 percent year-on-year to reach $60.07 billion last year, Shen said.