China's foreign debt rises to $765b

BEIJING - China's outstanding foreign debt hit $764.97 billion by the end of March, up from $736.99 billion at the end of 2012, the country's forex regulator said Friday.

The country's outstanding long- and medium-term foreign debt stood at $199.29 billion, up from $196.06 billion at the end of December, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange said in a statement on its website.

Outstanding short-term foreign debt, due within one year, rose to $565.68 billion from $540.93 billion at the end of last year, it said.

The SAFE said risks incurred by the increase in China's short-term foreign debt are controllable, as the debt is mainly trade-related and the ratios of short-term foreign debt to the country's foreign trade and foreign exchange reserves remain small.