Chinese banks' net external liabilities shrink at 2018 end

The net external liabilities of China's banking sector stood at 181.2 billion U.S. dollars at the end of 2018, shrinking from one year earlier, according to data from the forex regulator.

The figure was 281.2 billion U.S. dollars at the end of 2017, according to data from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE).

In breakdown, the country's banks reported combined external financial assets of 1.12 trillion U.S. dollars at the end of last year, while their external liabilities totaled 1.3 trillion U.S. dollars.

By December, 831.5 billion U.S. dollars of external financial assets of Chinese banks were deposits and loans, while 136.5 billion U.S. dollars were bond investments and 148.5 billion U.S. dollars were other assets, including equities.

SAFE started publishing external financial assets and liabilities banking data for the first time in March 2016.

The data reflects foreign-related business operations in the banking industry as well as the global allocation of the sector's assets and liabilities, which are important for improving statistical transparency and monitoring cross-border capital flows.

(CGTN)