This paper examines how China allocates its newly accumulated foreign assets by analyzing the long-run relationship between net national savings, foreign exchange reserves, and outward direct investment (ODI). Using quarterly data from 2005 to 2023, a cointegrated vector autoregression framework shows that ODI—particularly through state-owned enterprises— has emerged as an important channel for recycling national savings abroad. Although short-run reserve fluctuations persist, sustained reserve accumulation has become less central to China’s external asset management. This study contributes to the literature by highlighting the institutional role of state ownership in shaping cross-border investment patterns and by identifying ODI as a strategic mechanism for channeling national savings internationally. The findings shed new light on China’s evolving approach to external asset allocation and its broader economic and geopolitical implications.

It is a striking economic phenomenon that China’s foreign exchange reserves reached $US 606.9 billion. This paper pursues to explore the underlying motivations and implications by not only analyzing the complicated relationships between the Chinese economy and foreign exchange reserves but also establishing a tentative model to evaluate the adequacy of foreign exchange reserve holdings. The model has successfully confirmed that China’s recent holdings of foreign exchange reserve, in particular in 2004, appeared to exceed the adequate level largely due to speculative hot money inflows when the Chinese currency Renminbi had been expected to appreciate.