Rising trend of overseas investment 'to continue' (2)

But he said political instability and investment risks are major problems facing Chinese investors.

As ODI surges, China's investment deals abroad are frequently targeted by critics over alleged environmental degradation and not creating enough employment for local communities.

"We attach great importance to complaints and look into the cases, and there has been merit in some criticism," Chen said.

But "facts show that Chinese companies are striving to learn and improve".

In 2011, Chinese companies paid taxes of more than $22 billion on their overseas operations and employed 1.22 million people globally.

The government also pledged to encourage and assist Chinese companies abroad in shouldering corporate social responsibility.

After launching culture-building guidelines for ODI last year, China issued guidelines to improve environmental protection for overseas business operations.

In a recent press briefing, Yao Jian, spokesman for the Commerce Ministry, said implementation of corporate social responsibility is of great significance to Chinese companies, as it helps strengthen competitiveness and boost soft power.