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China’s central bank has announced a new set of measures to strengthen financial support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), aiming to help them navigate external uncertainties and maintain stable operations, according to a senior official at the People’s Bank of China (PBOC).
“The moderately loose monetary policy adopted by the People’s Bank of China helps expand funding available to the real economy, lower financing costs for businesses, especially the SMEs, and enhance their operational stability,” said Ding Zhijie, head of the PBOC’s Research Institute, during the latest episode of China Economic Roundtable, a talk show hosted by Xinhua News Agency.
Ding highlighted that the PBOC has intensified its credit support to smaller firms and taken steps to ease their interest burdens. By the end of April, inclusive loans issued to micro and small enterprises reached 34.3 trillion yuan (approximately 4.77 trillion U.S. dollars), marking an 11.9 percent year-on-year increase—outpacing the overall loan growth.
Financing costs have also declined, with the average interest rate on newly issued corporate loans falling to 3.2 percent in April, 50 basis points lower than the same period last year.
In a further move to boost credit access, the central bank has added 300 billion yuan to its relending quota to support the agricultural sector and small businesses.
Ding also underscored the importance of the entrepreneurship guarantee loan, a policy tool introduced in 2016 to foster job creation and innovation. He noted that the central bank will continue to urge banks across the country to implement the policy more effectively to expand financial support and help stabilize employment.
Australia confirmed it will repatriate citizens from the MV Hondius cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak, with quarantine on arrival. Spain, France are evacuating nationals as three deaths are confirmed. In the U.S., two passengers have been isolated after testing positive for the virus.
U.S. President Donald Trump called Iran’s response to Washington’s latest peace proposal “totally unacceptable” amid talks over ending the war and securing shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. A cargo vessel near Qatar was hit by a projectile as Kuwait reported hostile drones in its airspace.
President Donald Trump called Iran’s response to a US war proposal “totally unacceptable” after Tehran sent its reply through mediator Pakistan, according to IRNA. Qatar’s al-Thani also warned Iran against using the Strait of Hormuz as “a pressure tool”.
A Turkish Airlines plane caught fire in its landing gear tyres after landing at Tribhuvan International Airport on Monday (11 May) morning, temporarily disrupting airport operations, officials said.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has cited Azerbaijan as an example of what he described as a sovereign foreign policy, recalling remarks made by President Ilham Aliyev during talks in Yerevan, where he sharply criticised resolutions adopted against his country by the European Parliament.
Iran warned of an “immediate, intense, and powerful” response to any renewed Israeli or U.S. attack, as efforts to secure an interim peace deal appeared to stall despite fresh diplomatic contacts.
Metropolitan Shio of Senaki and Chkhorotsku has been elected the 142nd head of the Georgian Orthodox Church at a meeting of clergy in Tbilisi following the death of longtime Patriarch Ilia II.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow for talks on trade, infrastructure and preparations for Putin’s state visit to Kazakhstan later this month.
Afghanistan has signed a five-year gold mining contract with Afghan and Azerbaijani companies in a deal worth more than $20m, the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum has said.
Iran said on Sunday (10 May) that it had sent its response to a U.S. proposal aimed at launching peace talks to end the war, as signs of tentative movement emerged around the Strait of Hormuz despite renewed security incidents across the Gulf.
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