How much money does the U.S. owe to China? China owns roughly $1.08 trillion worth of
As of Jan. 2021, China owns $1.095 trillion of the total $28 trillion U.S. national debt.
As the new preferred lender to low-income countries, China now holds 37 percent of these nations' debt. Just 24 percent of the countries' bilateral debt comes from the rest of the world in 2022.
Those with the highest external debt to China are Pakistan ($77.3 billion), Angola ($36.3 billion), Ethiopia ($7.9 billion), Kenya ($7.4 billion) and Sri Lanka ($6.8 billion).
This continues the trend of increasing debt since the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). Since the beginning of the pandemic, Australian Government gross debt has increased from $534.4 billion in March 2019 to $894.9 billion as of 28 October 2022.
Collating numbers released in the IMF's quarterly update on foreign exchange reserves, RBC's Sydney-based fixed income strategist Michael Turner said it appeared China held around $130 billion of the $730 billion Australian Government and quasi-government bonds in the market.
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Maldives are among the biggest debtors of China. Pakistan owes $77.3 billion of external debt to China, according to Forbes.
At the end of 2020, of the 97 countries for which data was available, Pakistan ($77.3 billion of external debt to China), Angola (36.3 billion), Ethiopia (7.9 billion), Kenya (7.4 billion) and Sri Lanka (6.8 billion) held the biggest debts to China.
While this number may seem large, the total amount of U.S Treasuries outstanding is more than 30 trillion dollars. And, China isn't even the largest foreign holder of American debt.
Credit to the nonfinancial sector came to $51.87 trillion, or 295% of gross domestic product, to mark the highest debt-to-GDP ratio in data going back to 1995, in statistics released Monday by the Bank for International Settlements.
In Australia, and in countries around the world, government economic support packages in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have led to large increases in government debt, continuing a trend of increasing government debt since the global financial crisis (GFC).
Consequences of Owing Debt to the Chinese
If China called in all of its U.S. holdings, the U.S. dollar would depreciate, whereas the yuan would appreciate, making Chinese goods more expensive.
Key information about Australia Government Debt: % of GDP
Australia Government debt accounted for 47.7 % of the country's Nominal GDP in Jun 2021, compared with the ratio of 43.4 % in the previous year. Australia government debt to GDP ratio data is updated yearly, available from Jun 1999 to Jun 2021.
China has made loans to Kyrgyzstan, Laos, and Mongolia as part of the BRI. It also made a $115 million loan to Tonga to redevelop its infrastructure, and $2 billion in loans to Papua New Guinea (almost one-fourth of the country's national debt).
China is Australia's largest two-way trading partner in goods and services, accounting for nearly one third (31 per cent) of our trade with the world.
Australia in top 5 for highest household debt
According to OECD data, the average Australian household has debt of around 210.07% of their net yearly income. ¹ In layman's terms, Australians are spending a lot more than we're earning. But why is that?
Australia Exports to China was US$116.82 Billion during 2021, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade. Australia Exports to China - data, historical chart and statistics - was last updated on December of 2022.
Though sovereign debt defaults are relatively infrequent, countries can and periodically do default on their sovereign debt. This happens when a country's government is either unable or unwilling to repay creditors.
When the agreed term of a bond ends – known as its maturity date - the government pays back the original sum of money. Some bonds are very short term, others last for decades. Buying government debt is normally a safe investment – if you are lending to a rich and stable country.