HUAXIA Bank Co, a Chinese lender partly owned by Deutsche Bank AG, posted a 13 percent rise in 2006 profit, less than analysts estimated.　

Net income climbed to 1.46 billion yuan (US$188 million), or 0.35 yuan a share last year, from 1.29 billion yuan, or 0.31 yuan, in 2005, the Beijing-based lender said. That compares with the median estimate of 1.74 billion yuan in a Bloomberg survey of nine analysts.

Huaxia Bank follows Agricultural Development Bank of China and China Minsheng Banking Corp in posting higher profits, after the country's economy grew at the fastest rate in 11 years and the central bank raised interest rates twice, boosting lenders' margins. Huaxia Bank's growth may have been tempered by charges against non-performing loans. Revenue rose to 18 billion yuan last year from 13.8 billion yuan in 2005, the lender said.