An examination of the locational characteristics of intended foreign equity joint venture (EJV) investment in China during the period 1979 to 1985 indicates that foreign EJV investment was highly concentrated in the coastal region, in the more developed areas of the provinces, and in large cities. The locational characteristics, however, differed between economic sectors and between countries of origin of investment. Although foreign EJV investment became spatially more dispersed through time, the impacts on the development of inland regions and backward areas in China remained limited.