China's official gold reserves rose in January despite an increase in gold prices, extending a 15th consecutive month of buying streak, as the country continued to diversify and optimize its international reserves, official data showed on Saturday.

Gold reserves stood at 74.19 million ounces at the end of January, up 40,000 ounces from a month earlier, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange said on Saturday.

The latest gain followed a cumulative net increase of 860,000 ounces in 2025, after the central bank resumed gold buying in November 2024.

Wang Qing, chief macroeconomic analyst at Orient Golden Credit Rating, said the continued, measured accumulation amid record-high global gold prices signals an effort to improve the composition of China's official reserves.

By the end of 2025, gold accounted for about 9.7 percent of China's official reserves — still below the global average of around 15 percent, Wang said, adding that short-term gold price volatility is unlikely to materially affect China's central bank's overall trend of boosting gold reserves.

The World Gold Council said in a recent report that while the central bank may have tactically adjusted the pace of gold purchases as prices surged, China's continued buying reflects a strategic push toward greater diversification of its expanding international reserves.