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China to buy more U.S. debt

  • Story Highlights
  • Comments come ahead of the Group of 20 summit next month
  • Chinese Premier Wen expressed similar concerns earlier this month
  • Washington is spending trillions of dollars to shore up U.S. economy
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BEIJING, China (CNN) -- China, holder of nearly $1 trillion in U.S. debt, will keep buying Treasuries, but will keep a close eye on their value just the same, a Chinese government official said.

"Investing in U.S. Treasury bonds is an important component of China's foreign currency reserve investments," said Hu Xiaolian, deputy governor of the People's Bank of China. "We are naturally relatively concerned with the safety and profitability of U.S. government bonds."

Hu's comments came at a briefing Monday ahead of the Group of 20 financial summit in Britain scheduled for early next month. The G-20 nations represent 85 percent of the world's gross domestic product.

China has an estimated $2 trillion in foreign reserves and is the United States' largest creditor, having bought more than $1 trillion of its debt.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao expressed similar concerns about the state of the U.S. economy and President Barack Obama's economic plan earlier this month.

"We have loaned a huge amount of money to the United States," Wen said at a news conference in Beijing on March 13. "Of course, we are concerned about the safety of our assets. To be honest, I'm a little bit worried. I would like for you [a western reporter] to call on the United States to honor its word and stay a credible nation and ensure the safety of Chinese assets."

Washington is spending trillions of dollars in an attempt to shore up the the U.S. economy, including a stimulus package, bailouts of top U.S. industries and the purchase of billions of dollars in bad bank assets.

The programs could undermine the dollar, making China's investments less valuable. But a stronger U.S. economy could override those concerns.

All About ChinaUnited StatesEconomic Issues

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