BEIJING - The Export-Import Bank of China (China EximBank) has issued over 730 billion yuan ($102.4 billion) of loans to support the country's foreign trade during the first five months of this year.

The value represents a 15.8 percent increase from the same period last year, the bank said.

At the end of May, the bank's outstanding loans to foreign trade firms came in at nearly 3 trillion yuan, up 16.36 percent year-on-year and 130 billion yuan more than the beginning of 2023.

The bank has stepped up financial support for foreign trade companies and related industrial and supply chains in the past two years, in particular for small and micro trade firms. Its Belt and Road outstanding loans also topped 2.2 trillion yuan at the end of last month.

The China EximBank is a state-funded and state-owned policy bank supporting China's foreign trade, investment, and international economic cooperation.