Ping An Insurance (Group) Co's life insurance unit booked 35.1 billion yuan (US$5 billion) in premiums in the first four months of this year, the company said. No comparative figure was given for the year earlier.

The Shenzhen-based firm's property and casualty insurance unit posted 9.88 billion yuan in premiums to the end of April, Ping An said in a statement posted to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange yesterday.

Health insurance premium income totaled 4.83 billion yuan, while income from its annuity insurance unit was 557 million yuan, according to the statement.

(Shanghai Daily May 21, 2008)