China falls behind Spain and Ireland in 2016

SAUL LOEB | AFP | Getty Images

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) pose prior to a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany, July 8, 2017.

Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands were among the top nations investing the most in the United States last year, while China failed to crack the top 10, according to the latest figures published by the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The data released by the department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis showed multi-billion dollar foreign direct investments (FDI) in the U.S. from leading economies around the world in 2016.

The U.K. ($598.3 billion) led the way, followed by Canada ($453.6 billion), Japan ($424.3 billion), and Germany ($372.8 billion).

However, perhaps surprisingly, the world’s second largest economy slumped just outside the 10 leading investors. China pumped $58.2 billion into America last year, almost five times less than Ireland ($279.6 billion).

France ($267.6 billion), Switzerland ($196.6 billion), the Netherlands ($191.9 billion), Singapore ($73.7 billion) and Spain ($67.2 billion) completed the top 10 in America last year.