China s Treasury Shift Sparks Global Trade Concerns
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China’s decline in U.S. Treasury holdings began in earnest around two thousand twenty‑one, prompting analysts to question whether the nation is quietly offloading its debt.
By april two thousand twenty‑two, China still held one trillion dollars in Treasury securities, yet U.S. data later that year showed a sharp drop to five hundred ninety‑one billion dollars in august, the lowest level in eighteen years.
Meanwhile, Canada’s holdings of U.S. Treasuries surged from one hundred sixty‑nine billion to four hundred sixty‑five billion dollars over five years, and Belgium’s rose from two hundred twenty‑eight to four hundred ninety‑point five billion. China’s trade surplus grew to one point two trillion dollars in two thousand twenty‑five, the largest recorded, and for the first nine months of two thousand twenty‑six, it reached nine hundred thirty‑eight billion dollars, likely to
Timeline
- 2021 — China’s Treasury holdings began significant decline.
- On April 1 2022 China still held one trillion dollars in Treasuries.
- On April 23 2025 China’s trade surplus reached one point two trillion dollars.
- 2025-08 — U.S. Treasury holdings fell to five hundred ninety‑one billion dollars.
- On September 30 2026 China’s nine‑month trade surplus hit nine hundred thirty‑eight billion dollars.
