45 firms debut on China's New Third Board

BEIJING — A total of 45 small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were added to China's New Third Board over the past week, latest data showed.

The newcomers brought the total number of companies listed on the National Equities Exchange and Quotation (NEEQ) system to 11,070.

Weekly turnover on the board was about 5.24 billion yuan ($762.7 million) during the period, up 39.7 percent from a week ago.

The NEEQ debuted in 2006 as an experimental platform for small, non-listed high-tech enterprises in Zhongguancun Science Park, Beijing. The present system was officially established on Jan 16, 2013.

It complements the country's existing stock exchanges, the SME board and the ChiNext board. The board is seen as an easy financing channel with low costs and simple listing procedures.