China welcomes Malaysia to join BRICS cooperation: spokesman

China welcomes Malaysia and more like-minded partners to participate in BRICS cooperation, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a press briefing in Beijing on Tuesday.

Guo's remarks came after he was asked for comment on a media report a day earlier saying that Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva voiced support for Malaysia to become a full member of BRICS.

"BRICS is an important platform for cooperation among emerging economies and developing countries, and a source of strong impetus for multipolarity and greater democracy in international relations. The platform is widely recognized by Global South countries. BRICS countries value Global South partners' positive willingness to join BRICS cooperation. We welcome Malaysia and more like-minded partners to join BRICS cooperation and jointly work for a more just and equitable international order," said Guo.

China welcomes Malaysia to join BRICS cooperation: spokesman

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.

China's aggregate social financing maintains high growth in 2025