China's foreign direct investment fell 5.4% in November from a year earlier, the government said, while an official warned that increasing international competition presents a challenge to China's ability to keep foreign investment.

China attracted $8.29bn of foreign direct investment in November, the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement. In addition to the 5.4% drop compared with a year ago, the figure represents a slight decline from October's $8.31bn. FDI in the January to November period fell 3.6% from a year earlier to $100bn.