The government now says that China did not lose its place in December as the largest foreign holder of U.S. Treasury debt.
The Treasury Department said that under annual benchmark revisions released Friday, China's holdings of U.S. Treasury securities stood at $894.8 billion at the end of December, keeping it in first place ahead of Japan.
On Feb. 16, the government reported data that showed China had been surpassed by Japan. However, the government said in the new report that those figures did not account for purchases by Chinese investors in such places as Britain and the Caribbean.
When those purchases are taken into account, the government said that China's holdings grew by $124.4 billion above what was reported on Feb. 16.
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