This is the first time Chinese companies invested abroad than companies invested in China.
Overseas investment rose 18.3% to a record $145bn, compared to $135.6bn of foreign investment, reports the BBC.
It comes as China's economy last year grew at its slowest pace in 25 years.
Slowing growth has seen many Chinese firms on a shopping spree abroad, picking up US and European firms for know-how, technology and influence.
The past year's takeovers included Italian tyremaker Pirelli, US film studios Legendary, Swiss seed giant Syngenta and German robotics company Kuka.
"We think Chinese companies' overseas takeovers can help them acquire high-end production elements such as design, research and development, marketing and service to upgrade their positions in the global value, industrial, logistics chains," the commerce ministry's representative Zhang Xiangchen told reporters at a news conference on Thursday.
Outbound direct investment by China's financial institutions rose by an even higher margin, up 26% to $24.4bn government data showed.
The world's second largest economy has seen slowing growth over the past years, with Beijing pushing for a reform to transform China from an export-led economy to a consumer-led economy.
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