8 firms debut on China's "new third board"

BEIJING, April 13 (Xinhua) -- China's National Equities Exchange and Quotations, also known as the "new third board," saw the debut of eight new small and medium-sized enterprises during the past week.

With the newcomers, the total number of companies on the board stands at 10,278, according to the exchange.

From April 8 to 12, turnover on the board stood at 1.68 billion yuan (about 250 million U.S. dollars), up 20.01 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 lower costs and simpler listing procedures.