BEIJING — China's outstanding yuan funds for foreign exchange edged up month-on-month in February, central bank data showed on March 16.

The funds stood at 21.16 trillion yuan (about $3.25 trillion) at the end of last month, up 23.5 billion yuan from the previous month, according to the People's Bank of China.

As the Chinese yuan is not freely convertible under the capital account, the central bank has to purchase foreign currency generated by a trade surplus and foreign investment in the country, adding funds to the money market. Such funds are an important indicator of cross-border foreign capital flows and domestic yuan liquidity.

China's foreign currency reserves stood at $3.2049.9 trillion at the end of February, down from $3.2106.7 trillion registered at the end of January, official data showed.

The amount fell by $5.7 billion at the end of February, or 0.18 percent month-on-month, according to the State Administration of Foreign Exchange.