State lenders keep bad debts under control

Credit structure optimization, better risk management steps boost operations

Asset quality of China's large State-owned commercial banks remained stable last year as the banks continued to optimize their credit asset structures and enhanced risk management capabilities, industry insiders said.

"We are in pursuit of prudent operations that could resist economic cycles," said Gu Shu, president of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd (ICBC), the country's largest commercial lender by assets.