China's outbound investment was generally stable during the first three quarters of the year, although the raging COVID-19 pandemic and other factors dampened cross-border investment globally, the Ministry of Commerce said Thursday.

Chinese companies hiked investment in countries along the Belt and Road during the period, with non-financial direct investment surging 29.7 percent year on year to reach 13.02 billion U.S. dollars, Gao Feng, spokesperson for the ministry, told a press briefing.