REUTERS
Chinese direct investment in Russia's economy in the seven months of 2015 fell by 20%, according to Russian news agency TASS.
"Direct investment in the real economy is on the decline while portfolio investment is demonstrating growth. One cannot say that there is a decline in investment activity, and we see that the investor is looking for new ways of investment in the Russian economy, taking into account economic difficulties," Director of the Department of Eurasian Affairs at the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China Ling Ji said, TASS wrote.
In the first half of 2015, Chinese investment in Russia plunged by 25%, with the weakening of the Russian ruble being a major cause behind the decline in the investment, he said.
At the same time, some of Chinese businessmen remain optimistic about the current Russian-Chinese economic relations.
"Some large-scale Chinese investment projects in car manufacture, agriculture and infrastructure modernization are about to be launched," he said.
In 2014, Chinese direct investment in the Russian economy was estimated at $4 billion.