BEIJING, June 26 (Xinhua) -- China's outstanding external debt, denominated in both local and foreign currencies, came in at 2.4121 trillion US dollars at the end of March 2026, official data showed on Friday.

File photo shows a worker counts Chinese currency renminbi at a bank in Lianyungang, East China's Jiangsu province. (Photo: Xinhua)

The figure was up 83.3 billion US dollars, or 4 percent, from the end of 2025, according to data released by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange.

The moderate increase in external debt was mainly driven by active cross-border trade, which led to growth in non-resident deposits and trade loans, said Li Bin, deputy head and spokesperson of the administration.

Li noted that the currency and maturity structures of China's external debt remained broadly stable.

By the end of March, local currency debt accounted for 55 percent, unchanged from the end of 2025.

In terms of maturity structure, medium- and long-term debt accounted for 41 percent, down 2 percentage points from the end of 2025, according to Li.