Chart assignment

Charts to read and discuss

Read each chart, then answer its questions. Every chart shows its source and date; open it for a table of the numbers and the data to download.

  1. How much US debt does China own?

Chart 1 of 1 · Federal budget

How much US debt does China own?

The interactive chart needs JavaScript. The numbers are on the chart's page.

Mainland China held $591 billion of U.S. Treasury securities in August 2026, compared with its peak of $1.32 trillion in November 2013. In March 2000 it held $59.4 billion. China may also hold Treasuries through other countries' custodians, such as Belgium's, which this count can't see; these are Treasury's TIC estimates at the end of each month.

Questions to discuss

  1. In one sentence of your own, what does this chart show?
  2. Find the biggest change or difference in the chart. What might explain it?
  3. Who collected these numbers, and how recent are they? What else would you want to know before drawing a conclusion?

Source: U.S. Treasury, Treasury International Capital (TIC) System, Major Foreign Holders of Treasury Securities (Public domain (U.S. government work)) · Data as of Aug 31, 2026

Open the chart and its numbers

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