Taiwan has retained its position as the world’s fifth largest net creditor at the end of 2013 as the country’s external assets continued to grow.
According to the central bank, at the end of last year, Taiwan’s international investment recorded a net asset position of US$850.9 billion, up US$44.9 billion, or 5.6%, from a year earlier.
The net asset position is calculated by subtracting a country’s total external liabilities from its total external assets.
Japan ranked as the world’s largest net creditor at the end of last year with a net asset position of US$3.11 trillion, ahead of China’s US$1.97 trillion, Germany’s US$1.83 trillion, and Switzerland’s US$983.7 billion.
Taiwan’s central bank said it alone held US$421.9 billion in net assets at the end of 2013, up 3.3% from the previous year, while net assets held by the private sector rose 4.6% year-on-year to US$392.5 billion.
The central bank said Taiwan’s total net liabilities stood at US$587 billion at the end of 2013, up US$86.3 billion, or 17.3% from a year earlier.