BEIJING - Chinese commercial banks' bad loan ratio remained almost unchanged in the first quarter due to strengthened efforts from financial regulators to rein in risks, data from the banking regulator showed.

The non-performing loan ratio of commercial banks stood at 1.8 percent, not much changed compared with that of the beginning of the year, according to the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC).

Outstanding bad loans from commercial banks amounted to 2.16 trillion yuan ($318 billion) by the end of Q1, 95.7 billion yuan more than that at the beginning of the year.

"At present, the banking sector is operating steadily with stable credit asset quality, and the risks are generally controllable," said Liu Zhiqing, an official with the CBIRC.

The CBIRC will closely watch the risks in key fields and strictly prevent capitals from the banking and insurance sector to illegally flow into the property market, Liu noted.

The banking institutions have also stepped up to support the real economy, with its outstanding loans to small and micro businesses reaching 34.8 trillion yuan by the end of Q1.