China's gold reserves rose for a sixth straight month in May, said the central bank Monday.

Gold reserves stood at 61.61 million ounces last month, up 510,000 ounces from April, according to a statement from the People's Bank of China.

The reserves were valued at 79.83 billion U.S. dollars at the end of May, compared with 78.35 billion U.S. dollars at the end of April.

While China is the world's biggest producer of gold, its holdings make up a small percentage of its total foreign exchange reserves.

China's foreign exchange reserves edged up 0.2 percent month on month to 3.101 trillion U.S. dollars at the end of May, official data showed.