Chinese entrepreneurs reported improved business climate and higher profitability during the last quarter (Q4) of 2021, a central bank survey found.

Aerial photo taken on Dec. 16, 2021 shows the automated production line of a technology company in the Economic Development Zone of Anji County, Huzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province. (Photo by Xia Pengfei/Xinhua)

The Business Climate Index, an indicator of entrepreneurs' sentiment toward the overall operating conditions of their enterprises, stood at 56.8 percent in Q4, according to the People's Bank of China survey report.

The reading was up 0.2 percentage points from the previous quarter and 1 percentage point higher than the same period a year ago, the report noted.

Entrepreneurs in China reported higher profitability in Q4 compared with the previous quarter, the report showed.

Respondents said they witnessed upticks in export orders from the same period last year, adding that prices of raw materials edged down from last quarter but were still higher than a year ago, according to the survey.