China's external debt down in Q2

China's outstanding external debt, denominated in both domestic and foreign currencies, dropped in the second quarter by 2 percent compared to the quarter before.

The fall, to 17.58 trillion yuan ($2.43 trillion) as of the end of June, was due to foreign exchange rate factors, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE, said on Thursday.

The main gauges of China's external debt are all considered acceptable by international standards, SAFE said, adding that 44 percent of the country's external debt was denominated in foreign currencies as of the end of June, down by 1 percentage point from a quarter earlier.

Wang Chunying, deputy head and spokeswoman of SAFE, said the size of China's external debt is expected to continue to stay stable as the country's economy further recovers, while monetary tightening in major developed economies is close to the end.