China's U.S. debt holdings at 16-month low BEIJING, Jan. 20 (UPI) -- China's holdings of U.S. Treasuries fell to a 16-month low of $1.1326 trillion in November, down from $1.5 trillion in October, China Daily reported. It was the second straight month the holdings had declined. China is the largest creditor to the United States. Analysts told China Daily the trend would continue as Beijing diversifies its foreign exchange reserve holdings because of global uncertainties. However, Japan, the second-largest buyer of U.S. Treasuries, saw hits holdings of the U.S securities rise to a record $1.039 trillion at the end of November. Britain, the third-largest holder of U.S. debt, increased its holding by 4.4 percent to $429.4 billion. China's total foreign exchange reserves stood at $3.18 trillion at the end of December 2011.