BEIJING -- China's electronic information industry saw fixed-asset investment rise at a significantly slower pace this year in the wake of an economic slump both at home and abroad, according to data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Electronic information companies have invested 329.5 billion yuan ($52.3 billion) in major fixed-asset projects - those with values exceeding 5 million yuan - in the first five months, up 9.3 percent from a year earlier, the ministry said.

The rise was 70.7 percentage points lower than growth recorded in the same period of last year, it noted.

In May, 91.9 billion yuan had been invested in the sector's major fixed asset projects, only up 8.5 percent from a year earlier, it said.

In the January-May period, growth of investments made by electronic device as well as mechanical and electronic device producers dropped the most, down by 10.9 percent and 0.4 percent, respectively, from last year.