The one-year loan prime rate (LPR) was kept at 3.45%, and the five-year LPR was unchanged at 4.20%.

In a Reuters poll of 27 market watchers conducted last week, all but one participant predicted both LPRs would stay unchanged.

Most new and outstanding loans in China are based on the one-year LPR, while the five-year rate influences the pricing of mortgages.

(Reporting by Winni Zhou and Tom Westbrook; Editing by Tom Hogue)