PREMIER Li Keqiang said loans to small firms should not be “willfully withdrawn,” and China should help small firms tackle their liquidity difficulties, Xinhua reported late Friday.

His comments are the latest from China’s leadership about efforts to prop up small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

“Government departments are encouraged to take a multi-pronged approach,” Premier Li said during a State Council meeting Friday, Xinhua said.

“No loans extended should be willfully withdrawn,” he said.

China will adopt more targeted measures to boost the financial sector’s support for the real economy and tackle financing difficulties for small and micro businesses, the State Council’s meeting, chaired by Li, decided.

Li focused on the importance of clear methods for implementing the assistance for SMEs and measures to encourage financial institutions to increase their loans to SMEs and cut their financing costs, said Xinhua.

Major commercial banks were called upon to cut their average lending rate for SMEs by 1 percentage point in the fourth quarter, compared with the first quarter, and remove unnecessary procedures and surcharges for financing, Xinhua said.

By the end of September, outstanding loans for micro and small firms hit over 33 trillion yuan (US$4.78 trillion), up 11.4 percent year on year.

Collateral that qualifies for use in the medium-term lending facility will be expanded to cover loans for SMEs with a credit quota of up to 10 million yuan per company, added Xinhua.

Support will be given to firms for equity and bond financing.

Financial institutions will be encouraged to make SME lending part of their internal performance evaluations and provide incentives to do so, the Xinhua report said.

The meeting also discussed ways to use government-managed guarantee funds to make more financial resources available to SMEs.

The State Administration of Taxation is working with other government agencies to carry out tax reductions in a bid to support the private sector, Xinhua reported.

China’s taxation authority will roll out targeted policies such as suggesting the local governments give private firms a respite for paying taxes, SAT head Wang Jun told Xinhua in an interview.(SD-Agencies)