SHANGHAI, Dec.16 (Xinhuanet) -- China has been the country most favored by global investors in the past seven years, according to a survey recently issued by Atkearney, one of the world's top management counseling companies.

    The survey shows that managers are zealous to directly invest in China, India, and east European countries, with China standing as the most attractive.

    However, only 36 percent of the surveyed were optimistic about this year's global economy, while 31 percent were pessimistic, in drastic contrast to last year's 70 percent and 12 percent, according to the survey.

    More than half of the surveyed senior managers say that they are planning to add more investment overseas, triggered by an urgency for profit growth.

    Atkearney predicts that more mature knowledge centers in developing countries have posed challenges to north American and west European countries.

    About half of the surveyed investors plan to increase spending on research and development in the coming three years. More than 40 percent of the managers expressed willingness to develop research and invest in China and India. Enditem