BEIJING, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- China has actually utilized 61.674 billion U.S. dollars of foreign capital from January to November, 13.66 percent higher than a year earlier, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said on Friday.

    The growth rate is 2.51 percentage points higher than the figure for the first ten months.

    In November, the actually-used foreign investment in China surged 35.07 percent to 7.679 billion U.S. dollars. The number of newly approved foreign-invested firms fell 9.06 percent to 3,593.

    During the period, China has newly-approved 34,419 foreign-funded companies, down 7.02 percent year-on-year, the MOC stated.

    The average foreign investment size expands as the nation is seeking to boost foreign capital utilization quality.

    The faster growth in foreign investment shows China's booming economy and investment environment remain attractive to overseas investors, said experts.

    In the 11 months, the actually used foreign capital from the U.S. and 15 member states of European Union, however, declined 8.25 percent and 29.8 percent respectively, the MOC said, without providing specific figures.

    Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi said at the 18th Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade on Tuesday in Beijing that China would not change its stance on the broader use of foreign capital, dismissing concerns that the nation would narrow the scope of its opening-up policies.

    "China's door has been and will be resolutely open to the outside world," she said.