China's outstanding external debt reached US$374.66 billion by the end of 2008, up 0.28 percent, or US$1.04 billion from a year earlier, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) announced Friday.

Long and medium-term external debt, which accounted for 43.74 percent of the total, stood at US$163.9billion , up 6.74 percent, or US$10.3 billion.

Short-term external debt, however, fell 4.23 percent, or US$9.3 billion year on year to US$210.8 billion.

In 2008, the newly-added debts increased by 0.81 percent year on year, or US$291 million, to US$36.3 billion.

The nation repaid principals for long and medium-term debt of US$23.3 billion, up 14.92 percent and interests US$4.15 billion, down 16.22 percent, the SAFE said.

(Xinhua News Agency April 24, 2009)