Foreign direct investment in China fell for the second straight month in December as faltering global economy dampens investors’ appetite.

Investment from overseas fell 12.73 percent to 12.24 billion U.S. dollars last month from a year earlier, a spokesman with the Ministry of Commerce said Wednesday.

The decline could blame economic weakness in the United States and Europe, Shen said. Inflows from the U.S. fell 26 percent in 2011, while those from the European Union sank almost 4 percent, data showed.

While foreign investment growth in the month slowed, the overall figure for 2011 still climbed 9.72 percent to hit 116 billion U.S. dollars from a year ago, a record high in history.

Despite global weakness, growth of China’s outbound investment and foreign direct investment is expected to remain positive in the year, the ministry said in a statement on its website.

Spending rose 9.72 percent to a record of 116 billion U.S. dollars for the full year, and investment fell 9.8 percent in November, the ministry said.