A worker counts Chinese currency renminbi at a bank in Linyi, East China's Shandong province. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

BEIJING – China's Ministry of Finance issued this year's first batch of renminbi treasury bonds in Hong Kong on Wednesday, according to a statement on its website.

The first batch worth 7.5 billion yuan (about $1.1 billion) included two-year bonds worth 2.5 billion yuan, three-year bonds worth 2.5 billion yuan, and five-year bonds worth 2.5 billion yuan, it said.

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The treasury bonds worth 23 billion yuan will be issued in four batches this year. The second, third, and fourth batches will be 5 billion yuan, 5.5 billion yuan, and 5 billion yuan, respectively, the statement said.