BEIJING — China maintained a basic balance in its international payments last year, with a reasonable level of current-account surplus, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange said on Feb 11.

The country reported a current-account surplus of $315.7 billion in 2021, accounting for 1.8 percent of its gross domestic product for the year, said Wang Chunying, spokesperson with the administration.

The trade in goods posted a surplus of $554.5 billion, up 8 percent from the previous year. Both exports and imports maintained steady growth as the global economic recovery remained on track.

The trade in services saw a deficit of $97.7 billion, down 33 percent year-on-year. The deficit in the travel sector declined 15 percent to $99.3 billion due to the COVID-19 pandemic's continued impact on cross-border tourism and studying abroad, Wang said.

Wang projected that China's international payments, despite external instabilities and uncertainties, will remain generally balanced.