Foreign investment has facilitated the leaping forward of the Chinese economy, said a senior official of the Ministry of Commerce here Tuesday.

During a press release held by the State Council Information Office, Chen Jian, assistant minister of commerce, said as a main force of China's open economy, foreign invested enterprises have been playing an increasing role in promoting China's national economic development in recent years.

In 2004, the percentage shares of investment in fixed asset, industrial added value and export volume of foreign invested enterprises accounted for about 12 percent, 28 percent and 57 percent of the respective national totals, he said.

Foreign invested enterprises directly employed 24 million people, which is equal to ten percent of China's non-agricultural labor force, Chen said.

Source: Xinhua