China holdings of U.S. debt $1.16 trillion

WASHINGTON, March 1 (UPI) -- China, the largest holder of U.S. debt, held $1.16 trillion of U.S. Treasuries at the end of December, 30 percent more than previous estimates, officials said.

The numbers are presented in the U.S. Treasury Department's revised annual statement. In its earlier monthly estimate, released Feb. 15, China's December holdings were put at $891.6 billion, down from $895.6 billion in November.

The revised figures showed China had cut its December holdings by about $4 billion from that of November.

Japan was the second-largest holder of Treasury securities with $882.3 billion at the end of December, up from November's $875.9 billion. Britain was third with $272.1 billion, up from $242.5 billion in November.

Foreign holdings of U.S. debt at the end of December totaled nearly $4.44 trillion, up from $4.41 trillion in November, the revised figures showed.