OREANDA-NEWS. April 25, 2013. In recent years, ICBC has placed top priority on the restructuring and upgrade of manufacturing sector as one way to serve real economy. In industrial upgrade and restructuring, the Bank lends full support to the growth of high-end manufacturing sector, as well as transformation and upgrade of traditional manufacturing industry.

At the end of 2012, ICBC's total outstanding loans to China's manufacturing sector reached RMB 1.39 trillion, a jump of RMB 270.9 billion from the beginning of the year, or 24.2%, 12.2 percentage points higher than the growth of all ICBC corporate loans. ICBC ranked No.1 in domestic ranking in terms of loan balance, new loans and growth.

China is a big manufacturing nation. The "12th Five-Year" Plan sets up goals for the restructuring and upgrade of manufacturing sector to change "from big to strong". To better achieve this goal, ICBC places high priority to support the sector to transform and grow through continuously improving lending policies and supplementary measures. More innovative products and services are launched. By focusing on large, mid-range and small manufacturers, pacesetting companies and companies in the upstream and downstream, companies in industrial clusters and top small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs) of "professional, sophisticated, specialized, new", ICBC has facilitated the structural shift in manufacturing sector.

In advanced equipment manufacturing sector, ICBC set forth credit guidelines for equipment manufacturing industry in 2009. Priority is given to advanced equipment manufacturers with independent innovation, cutting-edge manufacturing technology, capable to provide supplementary services and playing a leading role in upgrading China's key sectors and large engineering projects. That includes high-end equipment manufacturing industry (one sector that China aims to nurture and grow) as well as helping traditional equipment manufacturing industry to transform and grow.

In serving the transformation and upgrade of traditional equipment manufacturing industry, ICBC actively supports these companies to use new technologies, new materials, new processes, new equipments, helping them upgrade old products by enhancing R&D on new products, applying best technologies and adding values to the products. By supporting technological restructuring projects for industrial transformation and upgrade, supply chain finance service is provided to the pacesetting companies and companies in the upstream and downstream. Full spectrums of financial services are offered for these companies to loom large.

In serving the high-end equipment manufacturing industry, ICBC offers services and solutions tailored to pacesetting aviation equipment manufacturers who require large amount of working capital to cover long production cycle and high asset/liability ratio. Using innovative loan approach, tailored solutions are provided to address their need of working capital.

On top of day-to-day banking services, ICBC also offers a wide range of integrated financial services to manufacturing companies including bond underwriting, finance and leasing, cash management, corporate annuity and M&A loans. Derivative trading, FX trading are also provided to help them "go global". All these financial services provide strong support for these companies to spread their wings around the world.