MNI China Press Digest, Nov 9: Loans, Housing, Private Firms

     BEIJING (MNI) - The following lists highlights from the Chinese press for

Friday:

     Banks' lending to private enterprises should account for no less than 50%

of new corporate loans in three years, the Financial News reported citing Guo

Shuqing, the chairman of the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission.

Policymakers are considering setting targets for banks. For large banks, loans

to private companies should account for no less than one third of the total

corporate loans, and the ratio shall be no lower than two third for small and

medium-size banks, the newspaper said citing Guo. Private companies account for

about 25% of the total borrowing even as private economic activities make up

more than 60% of the economy, the newspaper said citing Guo.

     China's real estate industry may not be entering a bearish market even as

an increasing number of land auctions failed to attract buyers, according to a

commentary published Friday in Economic Daily, authored by China Academy of

Macroeconomics under the National Development and Reform Commission. The

stringent housing regulations, increasing financing costs and the cooling market

have made developers refrain from acquiring land, the newspaper said. The

housing market is steady judging by data including by local government land

incomes, commercial housing sales and inventory data, the daily said. (Link to

story: https://bit.ly/2qzWnoa)

     China must create a good business environment for private and small

companies to boost growth, Xinhua News Agency reported on Thursday citing

Premier Li Keqiang. Li pledged to further simplify the approval process, expand

the market access and ensure fair competition with state-owned enterprises, and

encourage private companies to invest in infrastructure and base industries,

Xinhua said. (Link to story: https://bit.ly/2RGPeOk)

--MNI Beijing Bureau; +86 (10) 8532-5998; email: wanxia.lin@marketnews.com

--MNI Beijing Bureau; +86 10 8532 5998; email: william.bi@mni-news.com

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