This file photo shows the Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone in Shanghai, east China. [Photo/Xinhua]

China has continuously strengthened its inclusive finance support for small and micro firms during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), with the average annual growth rate of inclusive loans to these entities exceeding 20 percent during this period.

Since China officially proposed the development of inclusive finance in 2013, continuous efforts have significantly enhanced the accessibility of inclusive financing for small and micro enterprises.

Official data shows that the balance of inclusive loans to small and micro firms had reached 35.77 trillion yuan (about 5.06 trillion U.S. dollars) by the end of October this year.

In addition, China has further lowered the costs of inclusive finance as such loans primarily serve small and micro enterprises, individual businesses and farmers. Such entities usually face difficulties in obtaining financing due to a lack of collateral and limited risk-bearing capacity.

In June 2025, the interest rate for newly-issued inclusive loans to small and micro firms stood at 3.48 percent -- roughly 2 percentage points lower than the level recorded at the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020).

In the next five-year plan period, China will continue to step up efforts to develop inclusive finance, according to the Communist Party of China Central Committee's recommendations for formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), which were unveiled in October.