BANK of China, the country's second-largest lender, said yesterday it would provide 25 billion yuan (US$3.61 billion) in loans to help finance rebuilding in the wake of the deadly May 12 earthquake in Sichuan Province.

Asia's largest cement producer, Conch Cement Co Ltd would get 5 billion yuan in loans. Another 20 billion yuan in loans went to Panzhihua Iron and Steel Corp to boost its working capital and finance the infrastructure investment projects of the largest steel maker in southwestern China.