BEIJING, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- China has launched a new online platform to facilitate investment into the country, according to a trade and investment promotion agency.

   Overseas investors can get a better understanding of China's business environment, investment policies and specific project information via the website www.investchinaccpit.com, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) said Tuesday.

   The platform has released information on 1,186 projects and 157 policy measures and will continue to update relevant tips, the CCPIT said.

   China has been encouraging the use of the internet to promote trade and investment as part of its efforts to offset the impact of COVID-19. Among the measures, the country has held various online exhibitions and rolled out policies to support cross-border e-commerce.

   Foreign direct investment (FDI) into the Chinese mainland, in actual use, expanded 5.5 percent year on year to 98.7 billion yuan (14.38 billion U.S. dollars) in November, the eighth consecutive month that the country has witnessed FDI growth, official data showed Tuesday