BEIJING - CHINA'S foreign exchange reserves, the world's largest, have fallen for the first time in five years, according to the comments of a senior forex official reported in the local media.

'The forex reserves have fallen for the first time since December 2003,' Cai Qiusheng, an official at the capital account management department under the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, was quoted as saying.

China's foreign exchange reserves topped US$1.9 trillion (S$2.76 trillion) at the end of September, according to central bank figures.

Mr Cai did not give a new figure for China's current forex reserves, according to the transcript of his weekend speech, which was carried by the Sina.com website.

Officials at the State Administration of Foreign Exchange were not immediately available for comment when contacted by AFP on Monday. -- AFP