BEIJING - A total of 11,023 small and medium-sized enterprises were listed on China's New Third Board as of the end of March.

Market value of the SMEs listed on the National Equities Exchange and Quotation (NEEQ) system reached 4.439 trillion yuan ($645 billion), according to the NEEQ data.

In 2017, 860 SMEs had been added to the New Third Board, official data showed.

Trading on the New Third Board has become more active since the beginning of this year. Weekly turnover on the board was about 7.43 billion yuan in the past week, up 22.2 percent from a week ago.

The NEEQ debuted in 2006 as an experimental platform for small non-listed high-tech enterprises in Beijing's Zhongguancun Science Park. The present system was officially established on Jan 16, 2013.

It complements the country's existing stock exchanges, the SME board and the ChiNext board. The board is seen as an easy financing channel with low costs and simple listing procedures.