PBOC to deploy tools to support real economy

The People's Bank of China, the country's central bank, said on Thursday it will use multiple monetary tools to step up support for the real economy and reduce corporate financing costs.

"The PBOC will punctually and flexibly use multiple monetary tools, improve the functioning of monetary policy on both the aggregate and structural fronts, and beef up support for the real economy," said Ruan Jianhong, a spokeswoman for the central bank.

With policy assistance, the country's credit growth is expected to be steady and facilitate economic recovery, Ruan said, adding that China's long-term economic fundamentals remain solid despite resurgent cases of COVID-19 and a rise in external uncertainties.

The RRR refers to the proportion of money that lenders must hold as reserves. China last cut the RRR in December by 0.5 percentage point, sending the weighted average RRR to 8.4 percent.