BEIJING, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Import and Export Bank of China (China Exim Bank) has granted 20 billion U.S. dollars of supportive fund to promote Chinese imports from other countries, abank official said on Thursday.

    China Exim Bank will step up such support, said the bank's governor Li Ruogu at a press briefing during the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

    China's trade surplus hit 185.65 billion U.S. dollars in the first nine months, surpassing the 177.47 billion U.S. dollars for the whole of 2006, according to the General Administration of Customs.

    China Exim Bank, established in 1994, serves as a state policy bank aimed at boosting China's foreign trade and economic cooperation by providing policy financing service, onlending foreign government loans and lending the Chinese Government Concessional Loan.