Chinese city commercial banks should avoid aiming to expand in terms of size and speed, and ranking among peers, Liu Mingkang, chairman of the China Banking Regulatory Commission, said in a statement posted on the commission's website Wednesday.

The foundation of the country's economic recovery was not yet solid, and city banks should pursue prudent growth and pay more attention to and prepare for economic changes, he said.

China's 136 city commercial banks achieved an average capital adequacy ratio of 13 percent by the end of 2008. Non-performing loans ratios stood at 2.3 percent and the provision coverage ratio was 114 percent.

By the end of June, total assets of city commercial lenders hit 5 trillion yuan (US$732 billion), up 37.9 percent from a year ago.

(Xinhua News Agency October 29, 2009)