Workers make chips for export at an electronics company in Sihong, east China's Jiangsu Province, Feb. 23, 2022. (Photo by Xu Changliang/Xinhua)

NANJING, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- East China's Jiangsu Province, one of the country's economic powerhouses, saw 355 outbound investment projects in the first half of 2022, up 14.2 percent year on year, the provincial commerce department said Tuesday.

The province's total actual overseas investment reached nearly 3.08 billion U.S. dollars, with its newly signed overseas project contracts amounting to 2.46 billion dollars, during the period.

Nearly half of Jiangsu's outbound investment in the first six months was from its manufacturing sector, according to the commerce department.

The province saw surging investment in countries and regions along the Belt and Road during the period. A total of 113 such investment projects were initiated, up 46.8 percent year on year.

At present, Jiangsu has seven overseas industrial parks in six countries, where 329 enterprises have created more than 51,000 jobs for the locals, according to the commerce department.