BEIJING, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- China's National Equities Exchange and Quotations, also known as the "new third board," saw the debut of 4 new small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) during the past week.

With the newcomers, the total number of companies on the board stood at 10,684, according to the exchange.

From Jan. 2 to 4, turnover on the board stood at 1 billion yuan (about 146 million U.S. dollars).

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. In 2018, the exchange helped China's SMEs raise 60 billion yuan.