South Korea Investment Flow to China Falls Most on Record in Sign of Weak Ties

South Korea’s direct investment flows into China last year fell by the most in data going back more than three decades in a sign of weakening economic ties between the two countries as the US pushes its allies to reduce their reliance on Beijing.

Fresh foreign direct investment by South Korean companies in China dropped 78.1% to $1.87 billion in 2023 compared with the previous year, according to data released by the Finance Ministry on Friday. It was the first time since 1992 that China fell out of the top five destinations for South Korean FDI, with manufacturing leading the decline, the ministry said.