Who Owns the US Debt?

There is a lot of "noise" about who owns the US debt and whether or not that is a "good idea".  The issue of how much US debt the Chinese owns (in reality about 8% and declining) has become a large issue in the Presidential race.  Actually why a country owns another country's debt is far more complex issue than is portrayed on the news.  It has a lot to do with safety,  interest rates, balanced bond portfolio, risk, duration, etc.

From American Enterprise Institute