The Bank of China's London Branch issued 2.5 billion yuan-denominated bonds on January 8.

This issuance marked the first yuan bonds issued in the London market by the British branch of a Chinese bank, which will be listed on the London Stock Exchange.

The funds raised from the deal will be retained in London to support further development of the London offshore yuan market as well as UK-China bilateral trade and investment, the Bank of China said.

"By leveraging the Bank of China Group's leading position in other major offshore yuan markets, our London Branch has introduced a full range of yuan products and services in London," said Fang Wenjian, General Manager of Bank of China London Branch.

Logistic Slowdown

China's logistics sector grew at a slightly slower pace last December compared to its growth in the previous month, according to figures released on January 6.

The logistics performance index for December stood at 52.4 percent, down 0.6 percentage points from November, the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing said.

A reading above 50 percent indicates expansion compared to the previous month, while a reading below indicates contraction.

He Hui, Deputy Director of the China Logistics Information Center, attributed the decline to a slowdown in production activities at the end of last year.

The federation began collecting index data from more than 300 logistics companies in December 2011. Since then, the index has stayed above 50 percent.