Why China Is Retreating Further From US Treasuries

It’s the biggest pile of debt in the world — the $30 trillion US Treasuries market. It’s been built with the help of foreign central banks and investors, who have clamored to buy US government bonds through good times and bad. But what happens if their appetite wanes?

China’s government has been steadily trimming its holdings over the past decade. While it’s still one of the biggest foreign owners of US Treasuries, its stockpile has almost halved since reaching a peak in 2013, dropping to $683 billion in November, the lowest since 2008.