China's State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) predicted on Wednesday that the country's international balance of payments remained "double surplus" in current account and capital account in 2008, but the growth rate had slowed.

The current account surplus, which includes merchandise trade and services, is estimated at US$440 billion in 2008, up 20 percent year-on-year. However, the growth was 27 percentage points lower than the previous year, SAFE deputy head Deng Xianhong told a press conference.

The proportion of current account surplus in gross domestic product dropped to 10 percent in 2008 from 11 percent a year earlier.

Deng did not provide any information about the capital account surplus.

The foreign exchange reserve, which reflects the country's BOP surplus, rose by US$280.6 billion in the first half of 2008. However, it slowed significantly in the second half to stand at US$137.2 billion as a result of the spreading financial crisis, Deng said.

(Xinhua News Agency February 18, 2009)