BEIJING, April 19 (Xinhua) -- Foreign direct investment (FDI) in China grew 32.9 percent year-on-year in March to reach 12.52 billion U.S. dollars, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Tuesday.

FDI in China has seen marked gains this year, with an increase of 29.4 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of this year to 30.34 billion U.S. dollars.

FDI inflow in March was significantly higher than February's take of 7.8 billion U.S. dollars.

FDI in China increased 17.4 percent year-on-year last year, with a total of 105.74 billion U.S. dollars.