WASHINGTON (AP) — Foreign buyers of U.S. Treasury securities trimmed their holdings slightly in January, marking the first monthly decline in six months.

The Treasury Department says total foreign holdings slipped to $5.79 trillion, down 0.3 percent from December when holdings had risen 1.5 percent to an all-time high of $5.80 trillion.

China, the largest foreign buyer of Treasury debt, increased its holdings by 1 percent to $1.28 trillion after they had fallen by 3.5 percent in December. Japan, the second-largest buyer, trimmed its holdings a slight 0.02 percent to $1.18 trillion.

Foreign demand for U.S. Treasury securities is expected to remain strong this year, helped by the fact that Congress and the administration reached an agreement in February that will put off any battle over raising the debt ceiling until March 2015.