China is reported to have overtaken the World Bank as the biggest lender to developing countries.
According to research by the Financial Times newspaper, the state-owned China Development Bank and Export-Import Bank agreed loans of at least $110bn in the past two years.
That is about 10% more than commitments made by the World Bank.
Analysts say the figures are an indication of China's growing economic reach and its drive to secure access to natural resources.
Meanwhile, China's central bank has reportedly cut its 2011 lending target for banks by 10% from last year in a bid to slow down loose lending and tame inflation.
Even though there are widespread expectations that China will not publicly issue a 2011 lending target after these targets were ignored by banks in 2010, many analysts believe the central bank will still restrict lending from behind the scenes.
