BEIJING -- China's venture capital (VC) and private equity (PE) market has faltered amid a slowing economy and frozen IPOs, a report said on Friday.

In the first half of 2013, investors made VC/PE deals worth $9.9 billion in China, down 20.9 percent from the same period last year, according to a report released by Zero2IPO, a leading integrated service provider in China's VC/PE industry.

The VC/PE market warmed in the second quarter, but buyouts are not expected to significantly pick up due to the economic slowdown and a lack of exit opportunities.

Mergers and acquisitions have replaced listing as the primary method of opting out of future transactions since China's securities regulator has suspended all IPOs for about eight months. Among 73 VC/PE exit deals made in the first six months, 27 were mergers and acquisitions, according to the Zero2IPO's report.