Briefly

NPL ratio of banks falls in first quarter

Chinese commercial banks' bad loan ratio declined in the first quarter, data from the banking regulator showed. The nonperforming loan ratio of commercial banks stood at 1.8 percent at the end of the first quarter, down 0.04 percentage point from the data seen at the end of last year, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission said. Outstanding bad loans from commercial banks amounted to 2.8 trillion yuan ($435.7 billion).

Foreign trade up in Hunan during Jan-April

Foreign trade in Central China's Hunan province reached 163.51 billion yuan ($25.41 billion) during the first four months of this year, up 27.9 percent on a yearly basis, according to Changsha Customs. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations was the province's largest trading partner, while trade with the United States saw robust growth.

Xinhua