Chinese banks see net forex sales in October

BEIJING - Chinese commercial banks continued to see net foreign exchange sales last month but with a narrower deficit, data from the country's forex regulator showed Tuesday.

Chinese lenders bought $138 billion worth of foreign currencies and sold $142.4 billion worth in October, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) said in a statement.

The reading resulted in net sales of $4.4 billion, narrowing from the average deficit seen in the first nine months of the year.

In the first ten months, the banks recorded a net forex sales of $52.6 billion, the data showed.

The demand and supply in the foreign exchange market stayed generally balanced last month, and cross-border capital flows remained stable, said SAFE spokesperson Wang Chunying.

Data showed that China's foreign exchange reserves, a similar measure of capital flow, totaled $3.1052 trillion at the end of October, expanding by $12.7 billion from September.

The country's economy has demonstrated great resilience, potential and vitality despite the complicated external environment, Wang said, adding that China's steadily expanding economy and continued opening-up efforts will offer a solid foundation for a stable foreign exchange market.

Meanwhile, the rational behavior of market entities reveals that China's foreign exchange market is becoming more mature, which is conducive to sustaining the balance between supply and demand in the market, Wang noted.