Briefly

Number of individual businesses tops 119m

A total of 119 million individual businesses had been registered in China by the end of June this year, accounting for 67.4 percent of business entities nationwide, said the State Administration for Market Regulation. Individual businesses saw a prominent trend of recovery and stable development in the first six months, the SAMR said. About 11.37 million companies were newly registered, representing a year-on-year expansion of 11.3 percent. Of the 119 million businesses, 90 percent are from the tertiary sector, and 42.8 percent are from the country's eastern regions. Individual businesses operating in emerging service industries, including information and technology, culture, sports and entertainment, registered a strong growth momentum in the first half of the year, said the administration.

CDB ups loan support for energy sector

The China Development Bank, one of the country's policy banks, stepped up financial support for the energy sector in the first half of the year to help ensure China's energy security. The bank issued a total of 346.1 billion yuan ($48.23 billion) in loans during the period, increasing 18 percent year-on-year. The loans mainly supported oil and gas pipeline network construction and photovoltaic and wind power infrastructure projects, among others.

Xinhua - China Daily