Premier Wen Jiabao admitted Sunday that it'd be good if lending by Chinese banks had not been growing on a too large scale as a result of the government's immediate response to the global financial crisis.

"It would be good if our bank lending was more balanced, better structured and not on such a large scale," he said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency.

Wen said the State Council had noticed the problem in the middle of the year and moved to correct it. "It has been improving in the second half of this year," he said.

Credit expansion was one of the "unexpected difficulties" China had encountered in dealing with the worst crisis in decades, Wen said.

The State Council had to learn from past experience, detect problems and make persistent efforts to fight the crisis effectively, he said.

Wen said it was too early to grade China's performance in tackling the crisis because it was far from over and much work was yet to be completed.

He admitted that the State Council had time in the second half of the year to calmly reflect on the problems arising from the emergency response to the economic crisis.

The State Council had thoroughly discussed measures to cultivate new economic growth points, especially relating to emerging strategic industries such as the Internet, the green economy, the low-carbon economy, sensor technology and bio-pharmacy, he said.

"I think one of the linchpins for the world to overcome the economic crisis is wisdom, and, most importantly, science and technology," he said.