Overseas assets in 2008 soar to $2.92t

China's foreign financial assets rose 23 percent last year to reach a total of $2.92 trillion, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) said yesterday.

Of that amount, nearly $2 trillion, or 67 percent, were foreign exchange and gold reserves, the foreign exchange regulator said.

The outbound direct investment, however, was just $169.4 billion, accounting for 6 percent of the total foreign financial assets.