China pushes for more small business, rural lending despite higher risks

China's banking regulator urged commercial banks on Friday to increase lending to small businesses and the rural sector, a move that may bolster the cooling economy but also risks saddling banks with more troubled loans. "Commercial banks must utilize the government's current policy support to further improve their financial services to micro and small businesses," Zhou Mubing, vice chairman of China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC), told reporters at a briefing. Currently, China's commercia