HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- China sold a net 2.02 trillion yen ($24.3 billion) worth of Japanese government bonds in August, according to Japanese government data released Friday. The month marked the first time this year that China was a net seller of Japanese sovereign debt, following a net purchase of ¥2.3 trillion between January and July, the data showed. A breakdown of the Ministry of Finance's figures showed China sold a net ¥2.029 trillion in short-term debt and bought ¥10.3 billion in longer-term debt and securities. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/china-net-seller-of-japanese-debt-in-august-2010-10-07