China banks\\\' bad loans slightly up

BEIJING, Aug 16 (Xinhua): The ratio of non-performing loans for commercial banks in China climbed to 1.08 per cent by the end of June, up 0.04 per centage point from the end of March, latest official data showed.

By the end of June, non-performing loans in the banking sector stood at 694.4 billion yuan (112.84 billion US dollars), 48.3 billion yuan more than the previous quarter, according to a report released by the China Banking Regulatory Commission.

The regulator said the banks' credit risks were slightly up but the quality of their credit assets remained generally stable.  In addition, the sector had fairly strong capability of risk compensation, with a loan loss reserve totaling 1.83 trillion yuan at the end of June.

In the first six months, profits of China's commercial banks rose 13.96 year on year to 858.3 billion yuan, the report said.