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BEIJING, June 17-- China will encourage its financial institutions to make interest concessions as appropriate to businesses to help keep economic fundamentals stable, and ensure that all fee-cutting measures are fully executed on the ground in an effort to ease corporate burdens. A host of policy steps were decided upon at the State Council's executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday. Enterprises, particularly smaller ones, have been hit hard by COVID-19, and the Chinese government pays close attention to helping them overcome the difficulty. Premier Li Keqiang pointed out that fiscal and financial measures should be fully employed to help small and micro businesses survive, and encouraged banks to step up support as companies strive to stay afloat. "In the past weeks and months, financial departments and institutions have taken effective moves to tackle the economic impact of the coronavirus. Real interest rates have come down, and aggregate financing is expanding," Li said. "Interest concessions by financial institutions are a key measure in supporting the real economy, especially smaller firms, and keeping economic fundamentals stable." To advance stability on the six fronts and security in the six areas, the Wednesday meeting underlined the need for stronger monetary and financial policy support to the real economy, and help tide smaller businesses over difficulties as financial institutions and the businesses who borrow from them have a stake in each other's success. | 
