HONG KONG, Oct. 21 (Xinhuanet) -- Hong Kong's net international investment position was 430.4 billion US dollars last year, ranking second to Japan, the Census & Statistics Department said Friday.

    Comparing Hong Kong with eleven selected economies, the department found the figure compared favorably with the international investment position statistics of those economies. Among them, France, Germany, Japan and Singapore were net creditors, while Australia, Canada, Italy, New Zealand, Thailand, Britain and the United States were net debtors.

    At the end of last year, Hong Kong's total external financial assets and liabilities were 1.38 trillion US dollars and 952 billion US dollars, respectively. The ratios to gross domestic product (GDP) were 833 percent and 573 percent. This shows Hong Kong is a highly externally-oriented economy and also a major financial center in the region with substantial cross-territory investment, said the department.

    The ratio of Hong Kong's net international investment position to GDP was 259 percent, much higher than those of the selected economies. Enditem