China's Minster of Commerce Gao Hucheng speaks at a news conference on China's commerce development for the year of 2015 in Beijing, China, February 23, 2016. REUTERS/China Daily

BEIJING (Reuters) - China’s central and western regions hold great potential for foreign direct investment (FDI), the commerce minister said on Sunday.

As China expands its new Silk Road and economic belt stretching from western China to Central Asia and Europe, central and western China will increasingly be the next frontier for overseas investment, Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng told reporters on the sidelines of the annual meeting of parliament.

Last year, FDI in central and western China accounted for 16 percent of total FDI in China, up from 12 percent in previous years, Gao said.

China will lower the threshold for FDI this year, the commerce ministry said this month.

China attracted $126.3 billion, or 781.4 billion yuan, in non-financial FDI in 2015, up 6.4 percent from 2014.