BOP 2021

In the fourth quarter of 2021, China's current account registered a surplus of 757.4 billion yuan, and the capital and financial accounts recorded a deficit of 205.8 billion yuan. The financial account (excluding reserve assets) recorded a surplus of 65 billion yuan, and reserve assets increased by 270.8 billion yuan.

In 2021, China's current account registered a surplus of 2044.5 billion yuan, and the capital and financial accounts recorded a deficit of 973.2 billion yuan. The financial account (excluding reserve assets) recorded a surplus of 241.7 billion yuan, and reserve assets increased by 1215.4 billion yuan.

In the US dollar terms, in the fourth quarter, China's current account recorded a surplus of $118.4 billion, including a surplus of $182.8 billion under trade in goods, a deficit of $15.2 billion under trade in services, a deficit of $55.5 billion under primary income and a surplus of $6.2 billion under secondary income. The capital and financial accounts registered a deficit of $32.1 billion, including a deficit of $5 million under the capital account, and a surplus of $10.1 billion under the financial account (excluding reserve assets), and reserve assets increased by $42.2 billion.

In the US dollar terms, in 2021, China's current account recorded a surplus of $317.3 billion, including a surplus of $562.7 billion under trade in goods, a deficit of $99.9 billion under trade in services, a deficit of $162 billion under primary income and a surplus of $16.5 billion under secondary income. The capital and financial accounts recorded a deficit of $149.9 billion, including a surplus of $92 million under the capital account, a surplus of $38.2 billion under the financial account (excluding reserve assets), and reserve assets increased by $188.2billion.

In SDR terms, in the fourth quarter, China posted a surplus of SDR 84.2 billion under the current account, and a deficit of SDR 22.7 billion under the capital and financial accounts. The financial account (excluding reserve assets) registered a surplus of SDR 7.2 billion, and reserve assets increased by SDR 29.9 billion.

In SDR terms, in 2021, China posted a surplus of SDR 223.1 billion under the current account, and a deficit of SDR 105.4 billion under the capital and financial accounts. The financial account (excluding reserve assets) registered a surplus of SDR 26.6 billion, and reserve assets increased by SDR 132 billion.

The SAFE has revised the BOP data for each quarter since 2020, according to the latest data, and released 1950-1981 annual BOP data in the US dollar terms, both can be found in the section of "Data and Statistics" at the official website of the SAFE.

In addition, in order to facilitate understanding of the data of Balance of Payments and International Investment Position among all data users, the BOP Analysis Team of the SAFE released China's Balance of Payments Report 2021.

The balance of payments (BOP), also known as balance of international payments, summarizes all transactions that a country's individuals, companies, and government bodies complete with individuals, companies, and government bodies outside the country. These transactions consist of imports and exports of goods, services, and capital, as well as transfer payments, such as foreign aid and remittances.

The balance of payments divides transactions into two accounts: the current account and the capital account. The current account includes transactions in goods, services, investment income, and current transfers. The capital account, broadly defined, includes transactions in financial instruments and central bank reserves. Narrowly defined, it includes only transactions in financial instruments.