China allocates special fund to boost clean energy development

China’s Ministry of Finance on Wednesday announced measures for distributing special funds for clean energy development, aiming to promote the production and development of its natural gas resources.

The measures, set to be implemented from 2025 to 2029, optimize the allocation of rewards and subsidies to incentivize the extraction of unconventional gases such as coal-bed methane, shale gas, and tight gas. To address peak energy demands during winter heating seasons, extra subsidies will be allocated to promote additional gas production during periods of high demand.

The new measures also place greater emphasis on coal-bed methane extraction, given China's vast coal-bed methane resources and significant production increases. The development of coal-bed methane extraction also enhances the safety of coal mining and reduces greenhouse gas emissions, according to the National Energy Administration.

By implementing these measures, China aims to boost its clean energy sector, while contributing to global efforts in combating climate change.

China's outstanding aggregate social financing -- the total amount of financing to the real economy -- reached 442.12 trillion yuan (about 63.4 trillion U.S. dollars) as of the end of 2025, up 8.3 percent year on year, central bank data showed on Thursday.

The country's aggregate social financing stood at 35.6 trillion yuan (about 5.1 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2025, up by 3.34 trillion yuan (about 479 billion U.S. dollars) from the year 2024, said the People's Bank of China (PBOC), the country's central bank.

According to the data, the M2, a broad measure of money supply that covers cash in circulation and all deposits, increased 8.5 percent year on year to 340.29 trillion yuan (about 48.8 trillion U.S. dollars) as of the end of December.

In addition, outstanding yuan loans stood at 271.91 trillion yuan (about 39 trillion U.S. dollars) at the end of 2025, up 6.4 percent year on year.