BEIJING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- China last year attracted 520.6 billion U.S. dollars of foreign investment, up by 81 percent from 2019, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) said in a report.

Amid China's steady economic recovery and improved business climate, foreign direct investment into the Chinese mainland grew by 14 percent in 2020, the report said.

In 2020, China's securities market saw net inflows of overseas funds totaling 254.7 billion dollars, a surge of 73 percent year on year, SAFE data showed.

Net inflows into Chinese bonds jumped by 86 percent from a year ago to 190.5 billion dollars, while that into equities reached 64.1 billion dollars, up by 43 percent year on year.

The report attributed the significant growth in Chinese securities' overseas holdings to the country's promising economic development prospects, prudent monetary policy, and high-level opening up of the financial market.