17 companies debut on China's "new third board"

BEIJING, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- China's National Equities Exchange and Quotations (NEEQ), also known as the "new third board," saw the debut of 17 small and medium-sized enterprises from Aug. 13 to 17.

With the newcomers, the total number of companies on the board reached 11,096, according to the exchange.

During the period, turnover on the NEEQ stood at 1.51 billion yuan (about 219 million U.S. dollars), slightly up by 0.47 percent from the previous week.

The exchange was launched in early 2013 to supplement the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges to serve small and medium-sized enterprises.

It is seen as an easier financing channel for small businesses, with low costs and simple listing procedures.