Small loans assist in fight on poverty

Small loans for the poor have become more accessible in China, as the government is intensifying a national campaign to fight poverty.

By the end of last year, a total of 283.3 billion yuan ($41.2 billion) of small loans had been lent out to 7.4 million poor families nationwide. Last year's loan approval rates went up more than tenfold to 26.7 percent, from 2 percent in 2014, according to the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development.

At the end of 2014, five central government departments, including the poverty alleviation office, the Ministry of Finance and the central bank, issued a guideline on developing small loans that aim to lift more people out of poverty.