Beijing - China's banks saw a net forex settlement surplus of approximately 5.5 billion U.S. dollars in April, the country's forex regulator said on Monday.

A staff member counts banknotes at a bank in Qionghai of south China's Hainan Province. (Photo/Meng Zhongde, Xinhua)

Forex purchases by banks totaled 186.9 billion dollars last month, and sales reached 181.5 billion dollars, data from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange shows.

During the first four months of 2023, forex purchases by banks came in at 732.9 billion dollars, and sales totaled 742.7 billion dollars.