CHENGDU - Four overseas Fortune Global 500 companies began operations in Sichuan in the first quarter of 2012, bringing the total number of such enterprises attracted to the province in southwest China to 177.

According to details released on Friday by the Sichuan Provincial Department of Commerce, the four include Danone, France's largest food processing company; French auto maker PSA Peugeot Citroen group; German chemical giant Evonik Degussa; and US chemical producer Dow Chemical Co.

Eyeing Sichuan's preferential policies and the vast market of China's inland, the 177 companies have established facilities including research centers, plants and regional headquarters.

In the first quarter of this year, foreign direct investment in Sichuan reached $2.74 billion, a 28.5 percent year-on-year increase.

On April 9, Fortune Magazine, which draws up the Fortune Global 500 list of the world's top companies, announced that Sichuan's capital of Chengdu will host its prestigious Fortune Global Forum in June 2013.