"With these centers, SMEs know where to go for a loan and the bank's client managers also actively seek out SME clients, which they largely ignored previously. We are aiming to cut procedures for a SME loan to 5.7 days from the current 10.9 days," said Zhu Dabin, director of one of CCB's SME centers.

Last year, Chinese banks' outstanding loans to small enterprises rose 15 percent. Chinese banks' steady performance amid the economic downturn at home and abroad is due to the country's steady financial reforms in recent years, the paper said.

Six years ago, the country's state-owned commercial banks were regarded by foreign media as "technical bankrupt" and a "time-bomb for the Chinese economy". But these same banks have grown into internationally recognized commercial lenders after carrying out shareholding reforms, introducing strategic investors and public listings. Driven by the reform of the big banks, China's other banks have also made great headway in restructuring and risk control. The whole banking industry has undergone fundamental changes.

The ratio of non-performing loans in major commercial banks stood at just 6 percent in September 2008 compared with 23.6 percent at the end of 2002.

The Chinese banking industry has never been in a better state, the paper said. The healthy development of the banking sector will not only tide it over the global financial crisis but also help lay a solid foundation for the steady, rapid growth of the country's economy.　

(China.org.cn April 14, 2009)