BEIJING, June 30 -- China's outstanding foreign debt stood at over 2.49 trillion U.S. dollars at the end of March 2023, data from the country's forex regulator showed on Friday.

This represents a 2 percent rise from the level recorded at the end of last year, according to the State Administration of Foreign Exchange.

Outstanding external debt in China's domestic currency accounted for 45 percent of the total at the end of March, flat with the level three months prior, while the proportion of medium and long-term debt was 44 percent.

"With China's economy off to a good start this year, the size of its external debt has increased," said Wang Chunying, deputy head of the administration, noting that she expects the scale of China's external debt to remain stable.