Since the beginning of this year, Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province, has been focusing on optimizing its business environment and helping small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) overcome obstacles.

The city rolled out 108 measures help market players solve practical problems, including tax and fee reductions, rent reductions and exemptions, credit issuance increases, and the cultivation and expansion of emerging industries.

A magnificent city view of Xi'an. [Photo/Xi'an municipal government's WeChat account]

From January to April, the city had reduced taxes by more than 3 billion yuan ($451.02 million) and issued more than 1.1 billion yuan in subsidies.

As of the end of April, the city had a total of 2.75 million registered market entities, a year-on-year increase of 8.94 percent.

Focusing on the city's 19 key industrial chains, Xi'an has played a leading role in the industrial chain for economic recovery and development, laying a solid foundation for SMEs to weather the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the first quarter, the city's total industrial output value above designated size increased by 15.5 percent year-on-year, providing strong support for the city's stable economic operation.

Xi'an has also made it easier for SMEs to obtain financial services by broadening financing channels and enriching financing methods.

From January to April, the city's re-loan and rediscount funds exceeded 12.5 billion yuan.

In response to the needs of SMEs, Xi'an has set up 63 government service stations in industrial parks, commercial markets and other places where enterprises are concentrated to provide convenient services for nearby enterprises.

Meanwhile, 66 promotional activities have been carried out by the city, driving the catering, home appliance, home improvement, automobile and other industries to achieve 4.22 billion yuan in online retail sales, a year-on-year increase of 13.5 percent.