China remained the largest debtor to Taiwan, as Taiwanese banks’ exposure to China’s market continued to hit a high as of the end of September last year, amid warming business ties across the Taiwan Strait, the central bank said.
Citing the latest statistics, the central bank said on Friday that outstanding international claims by Taiwanese banks on China on a direct risk basis at the end of the third quarter last year totaled US$53.59 billion, up from US$52.02 billion recorded at the end of the second quarter.
On an ultimate risk basis, which calculates a nation’s consolidated debts after risk transfers, Taiwanese banks’ exposure to China hit US$94.09 billion, up from the second quarter’s US$92.65 billion, the data showed.
On a direct risk basis, the central bank said, Luxembourg ranked as the second-largest debtor to Taiwan, as Taiwanese banks’ exposure totaled US$42.96 billion as of the end of September last year, down from US$44.47 billion.
Hong Kong came in third, as Taiwanese banks’ international claims on the territory reached US$34.34 billion as of the end of the third quarter on a direct risk basis.
It was followed by the US with US$30.54 billion, the British West Indies with US$14.64 billion and the Cayman Islands with US$12.50 billion, the data showed.
The statistics showed that the UK was the seventh-largest debtor to Taiwan, as local banks’ international claims on the European nation at the end of September totaled US$11.52 billion on a direct risk basis, before Singapore with US$7.57 billion and Australia with US$5.85 billion.
The Netherlands replaced Ireland to become the 10th-largest debtor to Taiwan, as Taiwanese banks’ exposure to the Netherlands hit US$4.41 billion as of the end of the third quarter, the central bank said.
It added that Taiwanese banks’ international claims on the top 10 debtors on a direct risk basis totaled US$217.9 billion at the end of the third quarter of last year, up 0.96 percent from a quarter earlier.
International claims on the top 10 debtors accounted for 77.40 percent of these banks’ total exposure.
On a direct risk basis, Taiwanese banks’ total international claims exposure rose 0.96 percent to NT$281.6 billion, due to an increase in interbank loans, while on an ultimate risk basis, Taiwan’s banks’ exposure totaled US$341.7 billion as of the end of September, up 2.73 percent from the end of June, the central bank said.
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