BEIJING -- China’s net international investment balance hit plus $1.8 trillion at the end of Sept, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) said on Dec 29.

The net international investment balance measures the difference between a country’s overseas assets and liabilities.

At the end of Sept, China’s external financial assets totaled $6.29 trillion, while its external financial liabilities stood at $4.49 trillion, the SAFE said in a statement on its website.

The country’s reserve assets were about $3.95 trillion at the end of Sept, accounting for 63 percent of its external financial assets, according to the SAFE.

The country’s outbound direct investment in the financial sector hit $664.8 billion, accounting for 11 percent of external financial assets, while portfolio investments reached $259.3 billion for 4 percent and other investments totalled $1.42 trillion equalling 23 percent, the statement said.

At the end of Sept, foreign direct investment in China hit $2.55 trillion, accounting for 57 percent of the country’s external financial liabilities. Foreign portfolio investments reached $459.7 billion and other investments hit $1.49 trillion.