China's foreign exchange reserves totaled 3.4278 trillion U.S. dollars at the end of February 2026, marking an increase of 28.7 billion dollars, or 0.85 percent, from the end of January, according to official data released on Saturday.
The State Administration of Foreign Exchange noted that the U.S. dollar index increased in February, while prices of major global financial assets saw mixed movements, influenced by macroeconomic data, monetary policies, and market expectations in major economies.
The combined effects of exchange rate conversion and changes in asset prices contributed to the increase in China's foreign exchange reserves during the month, the administration said.
China's economy registered steady and improving performance, with new and higher-quality development momentum, the administration noted. The supporting conditions and underlying trend for the long-term sound development of the Chinese economy remain unchanged, providing solid support in the quest to keep the scale of foreign exchange reserves basically stable, it added.
"At the end of February, China's foreign exchange reserves exceeded 3.4 trillion dollars for the first time in nearly ten years, marking the seventh consecutive month of month-on-month growth. We believe the increase in forex reserves, on one hand, confirms that China's long-term positive macroeconomic trend has laid a solid foundation for the overall balance of payments; on the other hand, it also demonstrates that the risk-hedging capabilities of China's reserve assets' are continuously enhancing amid rising volatility in global financial asset prices," said Li Liuyang, chief forex analyst of China International Capital Corporation's research department.
China's foreign exchange reserves rise in February
The Iranian capital Tehran has experienced massive strikes amid intensifying U.S.-Israeli military operations after U.S. President Donald Trump announced he wanted "unconditional surrender” from Iran on Friday.
Trump said on Friday the United States will accept no agreement with Iran short of "unconditional surrender," one day after Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Iran is not requesting a ceasefire and does not see any reason to negotiate with Washington.
"There will be no deal with Iran except unconditional surrender," Trump said in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.
The video footage shot on Friday local time by Sepehr Saremi, a reporter with China Global Television Network (CGTN), shows heavy smoke rising from various locations in Tehran, and the explosions can be heard from a road in the western part of the city.
The reporter described the scene as "really scary."
"Now I'm driving. I was just trying to gas up my car. And I see the explosion here just next to me. You see the plumes of smoke. Everybody is trying to escape this area because I'm near the stadium in the west of Tehran. I was just trying to gas up my car. Now you see behind me just four or six powerful explosions just happened. Now I’m just trying to go home. It's really scary here. It's really scary here," he said.
Another video footage, also shot by Saremi in a residential building on Saturday local time, shows a huge fireball rising after strikes.
The U.S.-Israel massive attacks on Iran entered the eighth day and are escalating. The U.S.-Israeli strikes on Tehran and several other Iranian cities started on Feb 28, leading to the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, some of his family members, top military commanders, and civilians.
Iran responded with several waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israeli and U.S. assets across the region.
Trump wants "unconditional surrender," attacks on Tehran continue
