BEIJING (Reuters) - China's top financial regulator vowed it will maintain stable and effective credit supply to private firms and will step up support for their loans, an official statement showed on Wednesday.

The National Financial Regulatory Administration also said they will meet the reasonable financing needs of various real estate enterprises, including private housing enterprises.

The pledges came after a rare meeting held by President Xi Jinping with some of the country's biggest private companies on Monday, as policymakers aimed to shore up business confidence in the world's second-biggest economy.