BEIJING (Reuters) - China attracted 639.4 billion yuan (66 billion pounds) in foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first 10 months of 2015, up 8.6 percent from a year earlier, the commerce ministry said on Wednesday.

In October, FDI inflows rose 4.2 percent from a year earlier to 54.7 billion yuan, the ministry said in a statement on its website.

According to the ministry, FDI in the services sector rose 19.4 percent from a year earlier, to $63.4 billion. A big gain within that sector was for high-tech services, which increased 57.5 percent to $6.8 billion.

January-October FDI in the manufacturing sector rose only 0.2 percent, to $32.6 billion.

By region, FDI inflows during January-October saw a 14 percent annual increase from the more than 60 nations, including Russia and Turkey, that China calls "New Silk Road" countries.

While FDI is a key measure of general overseas investment interest in China, it is a small factor within overall capital flows and when compared to the huge export sector.

Last year, China's FDI surged to a record $119.6 billion, while outbound investment rose 14.1 percent to record of $102.9 billion.

In 2014, FDI inflows into China rose 1.7 percent, the slowest pace since 2012.

(Reporting by China economics team; Editing by Richard Borsuk)