CHINA'S foreign reserves reached US$2.45 trillion by the end of June, a 15.1 percent increase year on year, the central bank said yesterday.

But the reserves increased by only US$7.2 billion in the second quarter, far less than the first quarter's growth of US$126.5 billion.

It took China a decade to accumulate its first US$1 trillion in foreign reserves by 2006 but growth skyrocketed as trade boomed.