China's central bank conducted 284 billion yuan (about 39.61 billion U.S. dollars) of 14-day reverse repos at an interest rate of 1.65 percent on Friday.
The move aims to keep liquidity in the banking system at an adequate level before the upcoming Spring Festival holiday, the People's Bank of China said in a statement.
A reverse repo is a process in which the central bank purchases securities from commercial banks through bidding, with an agreement to sell them back in the future.
On Friday, the central bank also conducted a 200-billion-yuan medium-term lending facility (MLF) operation to maintain ample liquidity in the country's banking system.
The MLF operation features a one-year maturity period and an interest rate of two percent. After the operation, the outstanding MLF balance stood at 4.294 trillion yuan, according to the central bank.
China's central bank conducts reverse repos
Villages in Thailand's Sisaket Province, which borders Cambodia, are quiet and empty after residents were evacuated to shelters.
With permission from the Thai military, a China Media Group (CMG) reporter entered the border conflict zone on Sunday and saw bullet holes scattered across residential buildings, as well as deep craters left by rocket and artillery fire.
"Villagers had been evacuated to shelters, leaving only us security personnel in the area," said Thai army Lieutenant General Patchakorn.
He added that civilians are not yet able to return home, citing the unstable security situation and ongoing hostilities.
Artillery fire could still be heard at the scene throughout the day. Thai military officials said the explosions were caused by Thai artillery strikes targeting Cambodian positions.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said Sunday that Thai forces have taken control of nearly all targeted areas and are now compelling Cambodian forces to withdraw, adding that the areas are being closely monitored to prevent any renewed clashes.
The latest round of Thailand-Cambodia conflict, which reignited since Dec 7, has resulted in the deaths of 34 Thai civilians, Thai Ministry of Defense spokesperson Surasant Kongsiri told a press conference on Sunday.
The civilian death toll in Cambodia has risen to 19, Cambodia’s Defense Ministry said on the same day.
Thai border villages emptied as fighting with Cambodia leaves homes scarred
